A Day Of Love
by CrazyYanmega
Summary: Ash has lost the Sinnoh League to Paul. When he goes to visit friend Angie, will our hero find more within himself and the object of his desire than he expected? MorpheusShipping, AshXAngie. Lots of minor ships.
1. Premonition

Welcome to my latest story! I got writer's block on my other story, and I had this idea stuck in my head, and this is what came out. Read and enjoy!

_I can't believe it! I was so close!_ Ash fumed to himself. He had risen to the top four of the Sinnoh League, but his rival Paul had beaten him in that last round. Ash was furious. _Even when Gary used to be a jerk, he at least was nice to his Poke'mon. Paul just goes through his Poke'mon like napkins!_ Brock and Dawn were walking ahead of Ash. It had been a week since the end of the Sinnoh League, but Ash continued to dwell on his defeat.

"Does Ash usually get down in the dumps like this?" Dawn asked the spiky-haired breeder next to her.

"No," answered Brock. "He usually has a day of soul-searching, and he congratulates whoever beat him. But after Paul's insults, and the fact that it was Paul who beat him, Ash won't be thanking anyone for that match."

The group as a whole had decided to take a break somewhere where Paul would not be able to cross their paths and gloat, and they figured out the perfect place: The Aoi family Solaceon Daycare Center. Paul never kept any Poke'mon that weren't powerful to begin with, so he would never have a reason to visit the Center. Angie and her parents were kind enough to invite the young trainers to stay at their house while Ash and his ego recovered.

Pikachu sat on Ash's shoulder. He tried to cheer up his companion, but Ash remained gloomy and depressed. At least he _was,_ until Dawn called out, "There's Solaceon Town! We'll be at Angie's in no time!" Pikachu felt Ash jolt a bit when he heard the name of that short-haired trainer with the Shinx. Looking down, Pikachu saw his trainer's hand dart toward his left pocket and then drift away. Though no one could see it, Pikachu felt a spring in Ash's step. Pikachu's ears twitched at this new development.

* * *

Angie paced outside her house, a myriad of thoughts and emotions rushing through her head. _He's coming over! Will my parents give me a hard time? Will they spill the fact that I-"_ Angie shook her head violently and continued pacing. _I wonder how he's feeling. That jerk shouldn't have beaten him. The nerve of some people!_ Angie saw herself throttling Paul in her mind's eye, and she smiled at the thought. She wondered if she should tell _him_ that, but she decided against it.

"Angie," a female voice called from the house. "Lunch-time!"

"I'll eat out here, mama," Angie shouted back.

"Angie," a stern voice called. "Staying outside will not make your boyfriend get here any sooner." Angie's face turned bright red.

"Papa! He's not my boyfriend, and don't say anything like that while he's over!"

"If you insist," was the response. Angie retrieved her lunch from her mother and ate it by the fence. She went back to thinking.

_Well,_ Angie thought. _That put my trust in my parents not blowing my cover down the drain! What if they say something like that while _he's_ here? What will he think? What if he doesn't like me in that way? What if-_ Angie shook her head again. _No more what-ifs. I have _got _to stop having conversations with myself. He probably won't be feeling well. Does that mean he won't want to talk to me? I'll be sure to be nice to him._ Angie got a thoughtful look on her face. _Now how can I be nicer to him? Not contradicting everything he says would be a start. How about making gagging noises whenever Paul's name is mentioned? Nah, that'll just make my parents mad. Oh, we could talk about the Summer Academy! That should get his mind off of the League! _Angie reminisced about that week so long ago at Professor Rowan's Academy.

"Shinx!" A blue and black Pokemon scampered up to Angie. Angie picked up her Spark Pokemon. "Shinx shinx?"

"I was just thinking about the Summer Academy the last time we went there. Remember it, Shinx? Finding that Lumineon, that ghost-girl and the Dusknoir, and that Marathon. That was the closest race I've ever been in!" Angie reached down to her plate, lost in thought. She snapped back to reality when she noticed her plate was empty. "Hey, who ate my sandwich?!" Her eyes shot to her Shinx, who was licking crumbs off of her face. "Shinx, I was gonna eat that! Now what am I going to ea-" Angie broke off of her tirade as she saw three small figures coming down the path.

* * *

"Hey, over here!" A small figure was hopping up and down in the distance. Dawn shaded her eyes and looked down the path.

"I think that's Angie," Dawn said. Pikachu felt another jolt from Ash. Pikachu shook his head in confusion. Moments later, Angie was walking with the group, talking about what had happened since they'd last seen each other.

"By the way, thanks again for helping me with that Lickilicky. Especially you, Ash," Angie said. Ash's face began to turn red, and he pulled his hat over his eyes. "Papa was really upset with me, but he didn't get mad, thanks to you." Angie felt her face heat up, and she quickly changed the subject. "So have you guys had lunch yet?"

"No, but I'm sure I could cook something up," Brock responded. "Have you eaten anything?"

"I did get some lunch, but Shinx ate it before I could eat anything."

"Pip! Piplup pip! Pip, piplup, lup Piplup?" Dawn's Penguin Poke'mon chirped at Shinx.

"Shinx shinx, Shinx shinx Shinx!" Piplup laughed so hard at this that she fell off Dawn's shoulders and had to be caught by her trainer before she hit the ground. Pikachu's mouth dropped open.

"Pika! Pika, Pika chu pi pika Chu pikachu?" Pikachu and Shinx started an animated conversation as the trainers looked on in confusion.

When the group arrived at the house, Angie's parents did not make any remarks that would embarrass her. Brock asked if he could make some lunch for everybody, and no one refused. Brock created one of his usual dishes, and everyone ate their fill. Well, almost everyone. Ash wasn't eating much, and he hadn't eaten much since his defeat at the Sinnoh League Tournament. He continually glanced over at Angie, and then at his plate, hoping no one would notice. Angie's parents exchanged knowing glances.

"So," Angie started speaking. "Anyone remember their favorite part about the Academy?"

"My favorite part was where we all befriended a different Pokemon in the beginning," Dawn answered. "My Grimer was so cute! And it could do every pose that I could do!" Everyone in the room sweat-dropped.

"Well," Brock cleared his throat, ending the awkward silence. "I enjoyed seeing all of the Ghost Poke'mon in the forest." Ash and Angie shuddered simultaneously.

"I personally didn't like that little misadventure," Ash stated flatly. "If I want to go to the Afterlife, I'll ask. I don't need some creepy little demon-girl to suck me in there."

Angie's father raised an eyebrow. "When did this happen? Angie, you never told us about anything like this happening. You said that your last trip was 'normal.'"

"Uh, well, um, you see," Angie started, her face turning red. "Me and, uh, Ash, we were, kinda, um, partners, for a kind of, um, treasure hunt." Angie's parents exchanged knowing glances. "P-professor Rowan had us try to, um, find these medallions, at the top of this mountain, and, um, well, we were supposed to be learning about Ghost Poke'mon, so, uh, he kinda had us, well, going at night…"

"So," Angie's father cut in, arms crossed. "In other words, you two were alone together, unsupervised, in the dark?" The faintest trace of a smile appeared on the face of Mr. Aoi, while Ash and Angie's faces turned bright red with embarrassment at the implications.

"PAPA! Please!"

"Okay, okay."

"Now, as I was saying," Angie continued. "Me and Ash got lost because Ash ran away from this Misdreavus-"

"Hey!"

"Okay, okay, I was kidding," Angie waved Ash down. "_We_ ran away from a Misdreavus, and ended up getting lost. This little girl found us, and led us to the medals…" Angie's voice trailed off as she looked down at her plate. Ash continued the story.

"We picked up our medal, and the girl wanted us to keep following her, and we were going to follow her into this cave when a Dusknoir stopped us from going any further. Dusknoir used Psychic to pin us down while it confronted the girl. Shinx and Pikachu broke out of the Psychic attack, and we had them attack Dusknoir. When we knocked out Dusknoir, the girl opened up this portal to the Spirit World, which started sucking us into it. Angie, she almost got sucked in, and if it weren't for Dusknoir-"

"But, Ash," Dawn interrupted. "When we got to where you two were with Professor Rowan, Dusknoir wasn't even awake. You were holding onto Angie with Shinx and Pikachu anchoring you." Ash and Angie's mortified faces red-shifted as Dawn continued, much to the amusement of the two adults at the table. "Angie was fluttering around like a wind sock, and it was after Ash lost his grip on the ruins that Dusknoir woke up and saved you two."

"Well, Ash," Angie's father stated as he got up. "It looks like we owe you our thanks for saving our daughter."

"I-it's okay," Ash stammered.

"Now," Angie's mother said as she got up from her seat. "Why don't you all go outside and get some exercise with your Poke'mon? It's a wonderful day outside, and your Poke'mon have all finished eating." She pointed toward a dining room window, where about fifteen variously sized heads were peering into the cottage. Upon realizing that they had been noticed, all of the Poke'mon scattered.

"Well," Ash said as he left the table. "There's no time like the present, and we haven't trained for a week!" After the children left to play outside, Angie's parents talked amongst themselves as they cleared the table.

"Well, looks like we won't have to worry about any broken hearts this Valentine's Day," Angie's father commented. "That boy that Angie likes is obviously smitten with her. Only a matter of time now before they both find out."

"Do you think that either of them knows what day it is today?"

"I doubt it."

"Well, why don't we make a little party here to celebrate? Everyone can pitch in, and I'm sure the Poke'mon would enjoy helping with the decorating. Everyone can get dressed up, Dawn and Brock can decorate the outside of the house, we can do the interior decoration, and Ash and Angie can bake a cake and some cookies."

"Excellent idea, dear. Nothing says love quite like an exploding flour bag. Let's go tell everyone." The owners of the Solaceon Daycare Center walked together out of the peaceful cottage… and into a veritable war-zone.

This was going to be a one-shot but I'm expanding it. Please Review!


	2. Culinary Crisis

Hi Everyone! Welcome to the latest chapter! Have fun reading!

Angie's parents were stunned by the chaos that reigned outside. The air was filled with various attacks and orders. Mr. and Mrs. Aoi simply stared at the four-way battleground that had once been their backyard.

"Buizel, Sonicboom, Staraptor, Aerial Ace, Monferno, Flamewheel, Gliscor, X-Scissor, Grotle, Energy Ball, Pikachu, Volt Tackle!" As Ash's Poke'mon leapt into action, Dawn called out her orders.

"Piplup, Whirlpool! Mamoswine, counter Sonicboom with Ancient Power! Ambipom, Swift! Pachirisu, use Spark! Buneary, cover Pachirisu with Ice Beam!" Brock shouted out his orders before Dawn's Poke'mon could launch an attack.

"Sudowoodo, Double Edge, Happiny, use Hidden Power! Croagunk, block Swift with Poison Sting!" Angie didn't miss a beat in shouting out orders to her Poke'mon.

"Shinx, counter Volt Tackle with Spark! Snover, Focus Punch on Happiny, Heracross, use Megahorn to deflect Energy Ball!"

Buizel's Sonicboom collided with Mamoswine's Ancient Power, creating a mid-air explosion. Ash's Staraptor flew through the smoke at Piplup, but was intercepted by Brock's Sudowoodo, and they both were caught in Piplup's Whirlpool, which was thrown at Ash's Gliscor. Gliscor dodged and launched a close range X-Scissor into Piplup, who was thrown back into Mamoswine. The Whirlpool attack narrowly missed Pikachu, who was charging at Shinx, both Poke'mon fully enveloped in electrical energy. Dawn's Ambipom launched a double Swift attack from her tails, but Brock's Croagunk destroyed the golden stars with a stream of glowing purple needles. Meanwhile, Grotle launched an Energy Ball attack at Heracross, who used his massive horn to knock the attack into Pikachu and Shinx. Heracross was suddenly struck by Pachirisu's Spark attack, and was then encased in a block of ice by Buneary's Ice Beam. A huge shockwave was created at the center of the field when Angie's Snover collided with Happiny. Both Poke'mon were bowled over when Monferno smashed into them with Flamewheel. Monferno narrowly dodged being hit by Piplup's Bubblebeam, who barely dodged being hit by a Thunderbolt attack from Pikachu. The powerful electric attack shattered the ice that encased Heracross, who immediately lashed out at anything near him. Every Poke'mon on the field launched a long-range attack at the angry Heracross, but the Single-Horn Poke'mon flew out of the way. The attacks that had been aimed at Heracross ended up flying directly at Angie's parents. Ash, Angie, Dawn, and Brock panicked.

"Ahh! Look out!" They all yelled.

Angie's father casually threw a Poke'ball into the air. "Mothim, use Protect," he said calmly. A dark grey Poke'mon with orange patterns on its wings and face appeared in a flash of light. Mothim flew in front of the oncoming attacks and created a translucent green sphere around himself just before the attacks struck. The force of the attacks striking the shield Mothim created caused a massive explosion that threw everyone on the field to the ground. For several agonizing seconds, smoke obscured the cottage and Angie's parents from view. But when the smoke cleared, Mothim, Angie's parents, and the cottage were still standing. Angie's mother sent out a Poke'mon of her own.

"Beautifly, show yourself." A Poke'mon with a dark grey body, a white face, and colorful wings appeared. "Beau beautifly," the Butterfly Poke'mon squeaked. "Shall we show the children the combo we used when we were younger?"

"Certainly, dear," Angie's father responded. "Mothim, use Stun Spore!" Mothim's wings glowed as a golden-yellow dust fell from them.

"Beautifly, use Whirlwind!" Beautifly's wings became a blur as she stirred up a powerful wind with her wings. The wind picked up the paralytic scales that Mothim dropped and scattered them all over the field, paralyzing everyone on the field.

"Mothim, Beautifly, double Whirlwind!" The two Bug-Flying Poke'mon flew above the center of the field, and they carefully angled their powerful Whirlwind attacks to produce an enormous cyclone that sucked up Poke'mon and trainer alike. Angie's parents walked up to the end result, which was a pile of paralyzed bodies all jumbled together.

"Now, let that show you that we were Poke'mon trainers before you were around," Angie's mother told the trainers. She got a muffled reply from somewhere in the center of the pile. "We came out here to tell you that were going to be having a little celebration for Valentine's Day. Dawn, Brock? You're going to decorate the outside of the house. Angie, your father and I are going to do the interior decoration. You and Ash are going to be baking a cake and some cookies."

"Come and see us inside when that Stun Spore wears off." The two parents walked back inside, leaving the paralyzed youths and their Poke'mon to their own devices. Five minutes later, everyone extricated themselves from the tangled mass. Brock was the first person to get up.

"That was an amazing amount of power," Brock commented as he rubbed his head ruefully.

"Did you know that your parents could do that?" Dawn's voice was faint.

"No," Angie's voice was equally softened. Brock and Dawn went inside to get their assignments from Angie's parents. Angie watched Ash attempt to get up. He was still dizzy from the Whirlwind, as he had been at the center of the attack, so he constantly fell down. Angie giggled feebly, and then she held out her hand. "Need some help?"

"I think I can manage," Ash responded. Angie crossed her arms as she watched Ash attempt to get up three more times without any success. Ash looked up again sheepishly. "Then again, maybe not." Angie reached out with her hand again, grasping Ash's. Angie blushed lightly as they walked to the cottage together, still holding hands to make sure that Ash didn't fall down again. Angie looked straight ahead, not looking at Ash. If she had, she would have noticed that Ash was blushing much like her and determinedly staring straight ahead. Their hands separated as they walked up the steps to the back door, and they walked into the cottage.

* * *

"Okay you two, take those and hang them up along the gutters." Angie's father was speaking to Brock and Dawn. Both were laden with Valentine's Day-themed streamers and lights.

Angie's mother waved at Ash and Angie from the doorway to the kitchen. "Angie, over here. You and Ash need to know a few things before you two get started in the kitchen," she called.

"Coming mama," Angie said as she started dragging Ash into the kitchen. Their Poke'mon began to follow, when Brock called out to Ash.

"Hey, Ash? Could we borrow Staraptor? He'd be a real help."

"Sure, is that okay with you, Staraptor?" Staraptor trilled and flew out the front door. "I guess that's a 'yes,'" Ash chuckled. He then turned around and walked back into the kitchen, where Angie was choosing recipes from a cookbook. Angie's mother was retrieving a heart-shaped cake tin and cookie-cutters from a drawer.

"Now then," she said. "Measuring cups and spoons are in that cupboard, flour and sugar are both in that closet over there, milk and butter are in the fridge, and so are the eggs. Um, is there anything else you need?"

"We need some food coloring, mama," Angie said, scanning the ingredient list of the cake recipe she had selected. "And do we have any frosting and sprinkles?" Angie began to open drawers and closets. "We also need candy to decorate the cake and cookies. Some of that frosting that you can write with would be nice."

"I'm afraid we don't have any of that stuff, dear," Angie's mother said. "But I'm sure that your father could make a quick run through town to get you two what you need." And with that, Angie's mom left the kitchen. Moments later, Angie's father entered the kitchen with a pad and pencil.

"Papa, we need food coloring, frosting, sprinkles…" Angie listed the items that she needed. Meanwhile, Ash opened the refrigerator to get out the perishable supplies.

"Um, Mr. Aoi? There isn't enough milk, butter, or eggs," Ash spoke up. "There's enough to make the cookies, but only just." Upon hearing this, Buizel slipped out of the room. "Do you think you could get some more of this stuff, please?"

"Certainly, Ash. I can grab all of this." His eye twinkled as he exited the room. "You two try not to drop too many bags of flour while I'm gone." Buizel slid back into the kitchen just before Angie's father shut the door. He hopped up onto the island counter and gave a round, white object to his trainer. "Bui bui-bui!"

"Thanks Buizel," Ash congratulated his Sea Weasel Poke'mon. Angie looked over at Ash. "Hey Angie, Buizel found an egg we can use!" Angie looked at the egg in Ash's hands.

"Where did Buizel get this egg?" Both she and Ash turned to the door when they heard someone knocking very rapidly on the door. Angie walked over to the door as Ash handed the egg back to Buizel. Angie turned the knob to open the door and she tripped over Happiny, who rushed into the room. She immediately slammed her glowing fist onto Buizel's head, and snatched her rock back. As Happiny attempted to make her exit, Shinx leaped in front of her, blocking the Playhouse Poke'mon.

"Shinx shi shiii-shinx!"

"Hap-PINY!" Happiny whacked Shinx on the head with her rock. Shinx dropped like a bag of bricks, and lay there twitching as Happiny left the room. Angie scooped up Shinx and turned to Ash.

"Well," she started. "We still have enough eggs to do the cookies, right?" She got a determined look on her face. "If we can get first place in the Marathon, we can cook for this party, right?"

"Yeah, these will be the best baked goods ever!" Ash felt his ego boosted, and started talking to Angie. He felt very light-headed as he began to spill his secret. "Hey, Angie? I lo-"

"Yeah, Ash?" Angie's golden-brown eyes gazed deeply into Ash's auburn eyes. Ash felt his face heat up and his heart was pounding. _Okay,_ he told himself as he took a deep breath. _I can do this. I can do this. It's gonna be easy, I've just got to say it. Here goes…_

"…I lost track of where the flour is." As Angie turned away from him to get the flour, Ash mentally berated himself. _Dang It, dang it, dang it…_ Ash shook his head. _Better luck next time, maybe,_ he thought to himself.

Poor Ash. He tries to admit his feelings, but he totally screws it up. In other news, in three episodes Angie will make a reappearence. See you soon! Please review and check out my poll!


	3. Silent Admiration

Hi everybody! Pokefan30648 here! I've come up with a theme-song for my story, so you readers can play my story out in your head as a little episode! Also, try my poll for deciding my avatar for my Fanfiction account! The song, by the way, is "You and Me and Poke'mon." It's from the fifth Poke'mon Movie, I think. I'm not sure. Whatever! Read and enjoy!

"Okay," Angie said as she looked at the cookie recipe that she had selected. "First, we need to pre-heat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit. Think you can do that without screwing up, Ash?" Angie grinned at the raven-haired boy she was teasing.

"Yeah," Ash responded. "And I bet I can do it better than you can," Ash challenged. Ash was feeling much better than he had felt for the past week. In fact, just moments earlier, he had felt like he could do anything. However, trying to express his true emotions to the girl with whom he was working in the kitchen had proven more difficult than he had anticipated. So Ash walked over to the oven and pressed a few buttons.

"Now we need two cups of sugar," Angie grunted as she pulled a large plastic bag out of a cabinet. "But first _arrgh,_ we _errgh,_ need to _raah,_ open this _mfff,_ bag." Angie collapsed as her fingers slipped off the plastic and she lost her balance. _Great,_ Angie thought to herself. _Now what's Ash gonna think?_ She noticed a gloved hand in front of her face. Angie blushed as Ash helped her to her feet.

"It's okay, Angie," Ash said confidently. "No flimsy piece of plastic can beat _us_. Grotle, use Razor Leaf!" Grotle growled as he sent a sharp leaf flying across the kitchen, neatly slicing off the top of the sugar bag. Ash used a measuring cup to scoop out two cups of sugar. Pikachu retrieved a mixing bowl for Ash, who poured the sugar in. "Now, what's next?"

"'Add half a cup of butter, and blend until creamy.' I have dibs on using the blender!" Angie stuck her tongue out at Ash and giggled.

"Hey, no fair!" Ash made a big show of sulking as he went to the refrigerator to get the butter while Angie got out a hand-held mixer. Ash took his time in opening the stick of butter, making exaggerated movements and holding the stick of butter over the mixing bowl as Angie hopped up and down with impatience. After about thirty seconds, Angie poked Ash in the side. Ash yelped in surprise and dropped the butter into the bowl.

"Thank you _sooo_ much," Angie said as she grinned at Ash, who was holding his side. After teasing Ash, Angie turned the blender to its highest speed. Ash panicked.

"Angie, wait! Turn the blender down a little, please?" Angie complied, and the ingredients in the bowl blended nicely instead of flying all over the room. Ash glanced at the cookie recipe. "Looks like we need to add two eggs and a teaspoon of vanilla next."

Ash cracked the eggs and poured the contents into the bowl as Angie lifted her Shinx up to a high shelf to grab the bottle of vanilla. As Shinx explored the shelves, Angie remembered what she had talked to herself about earlier. After pouring out the designated amount of vanilla extract into the bowl, Angie held out the blender to Ash. "You want to have a turn, Ash?" Ash smiled and shook his head.

"It's okay, Angie. I was just teasing you." Ash watched Angie out of the corner of his eye as he checked the instructions. "Next we have to add three cups of flour and two-and-a-half teaspoons of baking powder. What the heck does baking powder do anyway?"

"Beats me," Angie responded as she pulled out a box of baking powder from a cabinet. Out of the corner of _her_ eye, she silently admired the boy who had twice saved her life. _He's been so nice to me,_ Angie thought. _He really is one of a kind. He _is_ someone I could…_ Angie shook her head violently, dispelling her train of thought. _Arrgh, what am I thinking!? I don't even know if he _likes_ me beyond a friend._ She sighed as she scooped a small amount of baking powder into the bowl.

"Gliscor, use X-Scissor!" Ash's Gliscor made a slashing motion with his claws, creating an X shaped pressure wave that sliced into an unopened bag of flour. The bag burst, sending flour everywhere. Ash, Angie, and the Poke'mon froze as the white powder settled over everyone and everything. Ash glanced at Angie, silently berating himself. _Great, now I've done it! Angie's gonna get mad at me, we're gonna have to clean up this mess… I better apologize right now…_ Ash then noticed that Angie was laughing. Ash felt a smile creep across his face, and he tried to keep his face neutral. But Angie's mirth was too contagious, and Ash couldn't help but join his friend in laughing at the situation. An annoyed Buizel crossed his arms as a confused Pikachu shook his head. Snover, Shinx, and Grotle sneezed as Gliscor sat on the floor crying. Monferno entertained himself by drawing patterns on the flour that had settled on Heracross. Heracross responded by throwing Monferno into Ash, who stumbled into Angie. Monferno leaped out of the way as the two trainers collapsed in a heap. It was at this precise moment that Angie's mother opened the door.

"What are you two doing?" Angie's mother asked. Despite the thick layer of flour on their faces, both young trainers blushed deeply. Both Ash and Angie tried to speak at the same time, and their sputtering got so mixed up that it was an indecipherable embarrassed babbling. Angie's mother smiled. "I'm glad you two are having a good time, but please clean up when you're done." Ash and Angie glanced at each other as Angie's mother closed the door. Ash rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment as he turned to Angie.

"Heh, sorry 'bout that," Ash apologized. "I was trying to open the flour, and Gliscor wanted to help, so I told him to use X-Scissor." Angie chuckled in amusement.

"Well, Papa said 'try not to drop _too_ many bags of flour.' I think that one isn't too big of a number." Angie winked at Ash. "But try not to do that again."

"D-don't worry, I won't. Grotle," Ash started ordering his Sinnoh Grass-type. "Use Razor Leaf! And Gliscor, don't worry, you can help put the cookies in the oven." Ash's Gliscor started crying with gratitude and landed on top of Ash to give him a hug. Angie started to giggle at the ridiculous sight. Angie started to pour flour into the bowl as Ash tried to calm Gliscor. By the time Gliscor had gained control of himself, Angie was mixing the flour into the mixture. Ash glanced at the recipe book, blowing flour off of the pages. He took a double-take as he read the next step.

"Yeah, Ash," Angie responded to the question that was on the tip of Ash's tongue. "I know that the next step is 'refrigerate for three hours or overnight.' But I've already solved the problem," she said as she opened a window and placed the bowl on the windowsill. "Now Snover, use Icy Wind!" Snover took a deep breath and exhaled a freezing blast of cold air that chilled the cookie dough. The wind also picked up all of the excess flour and blew it out the window. Unfortunately, Dawn chose this moment to stick her head in through the window.

"Hey you guys! How's it goi-Aaahh! Coldcoldcoldcoldcold!" Angie gasped, while Ash's expression changed to a look of dread, a look that one would usually see from someone who's been ordered to swim in a pool of acid filled with Sharpedo. Angie called off Snover's attack while Ash grabbed the dough from the windowsill. Ash then grabbed Angie's wrist and pulled her around the island.

"Angie, cover your ears," he said as he clamped his hands on his ears. As Angie covered her ears, she noticed that all of Ash's Poke'mon were doing the same thing. An instant later she learned why.

"AAAAIIIIIIIEEEEEEKK! MY HAIR, IT'S ALL DRY AND- AAAAHHHH! MY HAIR IS _WHITE!_ THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING! NONONONONONO! YOU GUYS ARE IN _SO_ MUCH TROUBLE WHEN I CATCH YOU, AND- oh. It's just flour. Never mind. Sorry about that!" Ash and Angie uncovered their ears.

"Thanks Ash," Angie said as she attempted to clear her ears.

"What?" Ash asked.

"I said 'Thanks Ash.'"

"_What?_"

"I said _'Thanks Ash!'_"

"Oh," Ash said as he finally cleared out his ears. "Now where were we in the recipe?" Ash picked up the cookbook. "'Roll dough to a thickness of 1/8 of an inch.' Looks like it's time to get out the rolling pins. Pikachu, Buizel, Monferno, ready to help?" Pikachu and Buizel gave out affirmative cheers. Monferno just stared at Ash in confusion. Pikachu hopped down in front of Monferno and started to pantomime what Ash was saying. Finally understanding, Monferno hopped onto the island, eagerly waiting to have some fun.

"Heracross, Snover, do you want to help?" Angie asked her Poke'mon. Snover and Heracross were as eager to get started as Ash's Poke'mon were. Ash grabbed rolling pins from a drawer and tossed them one by one to Angie, who tossed them to the Poke'mon. Soon the counter was covered with pieces of dough being flattened. Angie suddenly felt an impulse to do something mischievous, and, against her better judgment, she listened to her whim. Angie crept up behind Ash silently, her face lit up with a grin of anticipation. Her hand reached up toward Ash's head. _Closer,_ Angie thought excitedly. _Closer, closer, closer…_

"What the- Hey! That's my hat!" Ash exclaimed as he felt Angie whip it off his head. He started chasing Angie around the room, and Angie giggled as she skipped out of Ash's reach, waving his hat. The Poke'mon in the room watched the two trainers tearing around the kitchen. "Give me back my hat!"

"You gotta catch me first, Ashy!" Angie winked as Ash tried to grab his hat out of her hands. Pikachu was getting dizzy from spinning around, watching his trainer run. Buizel was quickly losing his patience with the distraction the trainers were causing. He finally snapped when Angie placed Ash's hat on her head and started running backwards.

"Angie," Ash yelled. "Give me my hat or- Buizel! No! Drop that rolling pin now!" Too late. The last thing Angie heard was Ash warning her to duck before she felt a sharp pain on the top of her head, and then everything went dark.

* * *

"…you hear me? Angie, are you okay?" Ash's voice was tinged with worry as Angie woke up. She groaned in pain as she started regaining her senses. Suddenly her eyes snapped open and she sat bolt upright. Her head twisted and turned as she looked for who had hit her on the head. Ash caught her attention. "Hey, Angie? Are you feeling okay? You had me really worried." Angie blushed as she felt his genuine concern for her wellbeing.

"Y-yeah, Ash. I-I'm okay, my head just hurts, that's all," Angie stuttered. "But I'm gonna have to talk to Buizel about this bump on my head!"

"Glad your okay," Ash smiled and blushed slightly. "Buizel is right next to you, by the way." Angie jumped slightly as she turned toward Ash's Sea Weasel Poke'mon. She then crouched over and stared Buizel in his eyes. Buizel glared right back. For several seconds Angie and Buizel stared each other down.

_Geez,_ Angie thought to herself. _This is creepy. That stare, it's making me feel like he's reading my mind right now. But that's impossible, right? I mean, he can't tell that I have a crush on _Ash_, right?_ At that moment, Buizel's eyes flickered over to his trainer and back to Angie. Angie felt her face heat up in embarrassment, and she tried to clamp down on her emotions. But her embarrassment simply got worse the more she tried to control it, and her face grew redder and redder. Buizel crossed his arms and grinned his trademark "your-fate-is-sealed" smile. Angie gulped in horror.

Uh oh. Poor Angie. What could Buizel be planning? Is Angie's secret in danger? What's going to happen? And are those cookies starting to burn? Tell me what you think in a review, or just review or ask a question for the heck of it! See you soon!


	4. Buizel's Revenge

Hi! Pokefan30648 reporting in! I finally got my new chapter posted. I had to retype it when my parents deleted it, but after almost a full week of typing, I got my job done at last. Read on and enjoy.

* * *

"Bui, bui buizel bui Bui buizel Buizel," Ash's Sea Weasel Poke'mon said loudly. Pikachu and Shinx rolled their eyes. The other Poke'mon, however, were not as nonplussed at this information as the two Electric-types were. There was a loud clattering as three rolling pins were dropped out of pure shock. Gliscor's eyes were even bigger than usual, and Grotle's mouth was hanging open so wide that a Venonat could have crawled in. Snover pulled on Monferno's tail to make sure she wasn't dreaming, and was assured of her wakefulness by a Flamethrower attack.

Angie's eyes flashed with fury and her face reddened. She leapt at Buizel, who smirked and gave Angie a hefty smack with his powerful tail. Angie was thrown into Ash, who instinctively caught her in his arms and fell into a sitting position. Buizel snickered as the faces of both trainers red-shifted at the intimacy of their situation. Pikachu and Shinx began arguing with Buizel over his actions while the rest of the Poke'mon remained frozen in their shocked expressions.

"A-a-are y-you ok-kay, Angie?" Ash stuttered as he gently placed the girl in his arms on the floor. He blushed as his hand ended up brushing against hers, and he tugged his hat over his eyes. He barely heard Angie's mumbled apology, as he was lost in thought. _This is just great, Buizel and Angie are at each other's throats, we've only got half of the dough rolled out, and I'm a complete mess. _Ash shook his head in disappointment_. I was really hoping that I'd win the Sinnoh League so Angie would be impressed with me, but instead I made a complete fool of myself. Angie hasn't even mentioned the League Tournament. Does she think I'm a failure? Does she even like me? _Ash felt himself wilt inside as he remembered his match with Paul over a week ago. He looked up from the floor and saw Angie attempting to throttle Buizel, though the agile Water-type evaded her grasp. Angie stopped chasing Buizel and bent over from fatigue. She stumbled over and sat down next to Ash, breathing heavily.

"H-has _gasp_ anyone _gasp_ told_ gasp_ you_ gasp_ that your_ gasp_ Buizel is _gasp_ really _gasp_ fast?" Ash nodded, still feeling depressed. Angie sensed that something was wrong. "Ash, are you okay?" Her voice was uncharacteristically soft.

"Yeah I'm fine," Ash said a bit too quickly. Angie raised her eyebrow skeptically, and Ash looked down at the linoleum floor. "Okay, so I'm not really fine," he sighed.

"Is it the tournament? Is that why you're feeling down?" Angie asked. Ash felt a sharp, stabbing pain as Angie said those words. "Well, I think you were great! Winning the battle doesn't make you the winner, it's how well you treat your friends and your Poke'mon. And in my eyes, I think you won that tournament, Ash." Ash looked up in surprise. Angie's kind words warmed Ash's heart, and his expression lifted with his mood.

"Thanks Angie," Ash said as he leaned back. "I guess I _was_ feeling upset about losing the tournament. I worked so hard to get where I was, and then Paul took almost all of that away from me." Ash felt Angie place her hand on his shoulder, and his heartbeat quickened.

"Ash, when I said that I see _you_ as the winner of that tournament, do you know what else that means?"

Ash shook his head, and his eyes widened in surprise as Angie's face, filled with kindness, neared Ash's. "U-uh, A-a-angie? W-wh-what do you mean?" Thoughts began racing through his mind. _What is she doing!? Is, is she g-going to k-k-kiss m-me!? D-does she…? Is she in _love_ with_ me_!?_ Ash was quickly dispelled (wrongly) of this idea.

"It means," Angie whispered slyly. "That in _my_ eyes, Paul _lost_." She giggled, and Ash, quickly recovering from his shock, began to laugh. They imagined Paul losing and throwing a temper tantrum, and they laughed even harder. It took a few minutes for the two trainers to compose themselves, wiping tears from their eyes. Ash got up first, helping Angie to her feet.

"Thanks Angie," Ash said again. "I needed that." Ash felt his spirits boosted for the second time, and he stretched, enjoying the sunlight entering the window. "Well, guess we have to get back to work," Ash commented as the turned toward the counter. He was greeted by the sight of several baking sheets of heart-shaped cookies ready to be popped into the oven. Pikachu leaped onto his trainer's shoulder,

"Pika pi, pi pikachu pika!"

"Great job everyone," Ash congratulated his Poke'mon. "We're half-way through, and once Angie's dad gets here, we're gonna have these cookies all baked, right?" All of the Poke'mon cheered loudly. Angie grinned and shook her head as Ash struck one of his poses.

_He is so unpredictable,_ she thought to herself._ Just moments ago he was in a total funk about the tournament, and now he's congratulating his Poke'mon for using cookie cutters. Well, he did tell me that I helped him feel better. W-wait, could that mean that he likes me!? I've got a good feeling about this. I'll talk to him later, in private. When everybody's asleep. So my parents won't pop in._ Angie's father opened the kitchen door._ Like that._

"How's the baking going?"

"Great," Ash replied. "Me 'n Gliscor were just putting the last sheet of cookies in the oven."

"Glis gli gliscor gli!" Ash's Gliscor bounced on his tail excitedly. In the process, he burned his claws on the oven grates. Squalling in pain and surprise, Gliscor dropped the cookies onto the rack and leaped backwards, cannoning into Ash and Angie. The two trainers were lost to sight as they were covered by Gliscor's wings. Gliscor quickly got back up, but it was too late. The prone youths said only one word.

"Ow."

"Well, as soon as those cookies are done baking, come on out into the living room," Angie's father said as he left. "There's a surprise for everyone waiting."

"I wonder what the surprise is," Angie commented as nonchalantly as possible. But inside she was panicking. _Oh no! I knew this would happen! My parents probably made some kind of wedding altar or something! Arrgh, and I was hoping to break this to him gently! And in PRIVATE!!! NOT WITH EVERYONE WATCHING US!!! _She began to feel the fluttering sensation known as Beautiflys in your stomach. Angie felt like she was going to throw up. Ash, however, was his usual clueless self.

"I don't know what the surprise will be, but I'm sure it'll be fun!" Ash grinned in anticipation. "I can't wait to find out what it is!"

"Y-yeah, neither can I…" Angie said weakly. At that moment, Dawn's Buneary leaped onto the open windowsill. Buneary waved at Ash's Pikachu, who waved back and hopped onto the counter near the window. Unbeknownst to him, the other Poke'mon in the room were watching with interest.

"Bun buneary bun?" the Rabbit Poke'mon asked. Pikachu nodded in response, not quite getting the point. "Bun bun buneary bun?" The red spots on Pikachu's cheeks turned darker in embarrassment. He muttered his answer quietly, but Buneary's sensitive ears heard. The Rabbit Poke'mon gave Pikachu a big hug, and the other Poke'mon were hard pressed to keep quiet, though snorts of barely suppressed laughter could be heard throughout the kitchen. Buneary gave Pikachu a swift kiss on the nose before bouncing off, hiding her face in her fluff. Pikachu stood dazed for a moment, rubbing his nose absentmindedly. When he eventually turned around, he found that he was surrounded.

Shinx, Buizel, Heracross, and Snover stood in front of the Mouse Poke'mon, highly amused expressions on their faces. The quartet exchanged sly remarks and began asking questions. "Bu-bui, Buizel bui." "Shinx shinx, Shinx shinx Shinx?" "Pika…" "Snover snove snover." "Pi pika!? Pi pikach-" "Hera cross cross heracross?" "Pika pik-" "Bui, bui Buizel bui!" "PIKA PI-" "Shinx shinx?" "PIKA!" "Snover snove?" "Pika pikachu." "Heracross hera?" Pikachu finally lost his patience. He slammed his Iron Tail attack into the counter to catapult himself over the quartet. Pikachu was able to land on Ash's shoulders without any problems.

Angie was crouching in front of the oven, trying to see if the old adage 'A watched pot never boils' applied to ovens. She was sure that she would not like the surprise waiting in the living room, and she was trying to put off going there as long as physically possible. Her efforts were in vain, unfortunately. The ten minutes that the cookies required for baking seemed to pass in almost no time at all, and soon Ash was helping her extract the fresh cookies from the oven. "Mmm, these smell good," Angie licked her lips as she smelled the air. "Think anyone would mind if we had one or two?"

"Probably not, we have enough here to last a long time," Ash responded. The trainers distributed one cookie to each of their Poke'mon before eating their own. The cookies were delicious, but everyone refrained from seconds. Ash was just about to walk out the door when Angie was struck by an idea.

"Hey, why don't we get the frosting on all of these cookies before we go see the surprise?" Ash shrugged, so Angie got out a can of pink frosting from a grocery bag that her father had left on the counter. "I bet I can frost more cookies than you," she teased, knowing that Ash would rise to the bait. And he did.

"You're on!" Ash searched for a spatula to spread the frosting with. By the time he found one, Angie had used up half of the first can. Ash quickly caught up to Angie, who stepped up her pace. Each time one trainer began getting a lead, the other trainer would work even faster to get ahead. When there was one last cookie, they began sword fighting with their spatulas. After about half a minute, Angie finally managed to snatch the cookie. She took her time spreading the frosting on this cookie, making Ash tap his foot in impatience. When she was finished, Ash grabbed her arm and made a beeline for the kitchen door.

"Wait," Angie cried out. "We need to put the candy on the cookies!" Ash shook his head in frustration.

"If I didn't know better," Ash grumbled. "I'd say that you don't want me to see this surprise." Angie laughed nervously.

"Of course I want you to see it," she lied as she got out the candy hearts her father had bought. "I just want to get this job done, that's all." Ash started lining his cookies with the heart-shaped candies. At the same time, Angie tried to formulate another excuse to keep Ash in the kitchen, but she realized that she had run out of options. Her thoughts were interrupted by Ash.

"Hey, Angie? A little help here?" Angie began working next to Ash, trying to go as slowly as possible without being obvious. Ash still noticed, however. "Angie, is there something you need to tell me?" Angie jumped slightly.

"Yeah, I've gotten through more cookies than you!" she said in a desperate attempt to distract Ash. Ash immediately focused on his task, completely forgetting about Angie's suspicious behavior. He even forgot that Angie did not, in fact, have more cookies completed than he did. Angie breathed a mental sigh of relief as she began to apply herself more to her task. Even Ash would eventually notice the lack of candy lined cookies on her plate.

* * *

"Phew," Ash pretended to wipe his forehead in mock exhaustion. "We finally got that done." He picked up one of the cookies and held it the way that he held the badges he earned. "Alright! I got all of the cookies done!" Pikachu leaped onto Ash's shoulder and raised a tiny fist into the air as his trainer struck a pose. Angie giggled at Ash.

"Hey, don't leave me out of this," Angie grinned as she reached out to take a hold of half of the cookie. Ash shifted his grip to accommodate her.

"Wouldn't dream of it," he responded.

"Alright! We got all of the cookies done," they shouted together, posing as they had when they had retrieved the medallion from the ruins. "We got a cookie!" They fell on the floor laughing at the ridiculousness of their actions. After their mirth died down, they got up and dusted themselves off.

_Well,_ Angie thought to herself. _I guess there's no more putting it off anymore. I just gotta go in there with Ash and see what the surprise is, and pray to Arceus that it isn't anything too embarrassing._ "Hey, Ash? Are you ready to go see what this surprise is?"

"Ready as ever! Let's go!" The two trainers recalled their Poke'mon, except for Shinx and Pikachu, and headed for the door. They opened the door and walked down a hallway into the living room. What they saw made their jaws drop.

* * *

What could the surprise be? Is it something that will make Ash and Angie reveal their true feelings for each other? Or is it something completely unexpected? ...So? Do you like the new chapter? Send a review or a question. The new Poke'mon DP Battle Dimension episode that's starring Angie is this weekend, so tell me how you like it in a review. And tell me how you like my avatar! Anonymous review is on, so all of you readers can give me your input. Due to school work, I won't be able to update this story for a while, but I'll try to get a new chapter posted within the next month. See ya's!


	5. Surprise!

Hi, I'm back! As promised, I made my update. Thank you to my devoted readers who are sending their support. It really helps to get productive reviews. Keep them coming! Now, back to the story…

Edit: Jun's name has been changed to Barry (ick).

"SURPRISE!" everyone yelled. Ash and Angie were certainly surprised. The living room was crowded with shouting people. The two trainers were stunned. Angie was the first to recover.

"Who…wha…who…Mama, Papa, who are these people?" Angie asked. Ash was able to recognize everyone, however.

"Misty, Tracy, is that you?" The orange-haired Gym Leader and Professor Oak's assistant nodded, their faces wreathed in smiles for their old friend. "May, Drew? Max?" The brunette coordinator grinned and waved as the green-haired coordinator flicked his hair nonchalantly. The short, black-haired child waved excitedly. "What's everyone doing here? How were you all able to get here?" Ash was bewildered.

"Ash, isn't this great?" Dawn asked excitedly. "Zoey and Barry are here too. Even the Grandson of the poetry guy is here!" At this, almost everyone fell over. The grandson in question rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment.

"You know, I _do_ have a name," Gary protested. His complaints fell upon deaf ears, however, as Dawn was already chatting away with Zoey and May. Gary rolled his eyes and turned to Ash. "Now, for your first question, everyone decided that you need some help recovering from your ordeal last week." Ash stumbled slightly when he heard this. "Answering your second question, I happened to be in the Sinnoh region, ang I asked Gramps where he thought you might be. He told me that my best bet would be to head toward the Solaceon Daycare Center." Gary noticed that Ash's cheeks had colored slightly, and he stored away that bit of info for later use as he sat down on the couch.

"That's kind of what me 'n Tracy did," Misty cut in. "We missed our ferry from Kanto to Sinnoh, so we weren't able to make it to the Tournament. We caught a ferry for the next day, and then we were rushing around too much trying to get to the Tournament, and we got lost. We found a Poke'mon Center, and we saw the whole thing on TV. We called Professor Oak to see if he knew where you were going. He told us, and now here we are!" Misty's Azurill squeaked happily in her trainer's arms. May and Drew walked over to Ash and Angie.

"Hey, Ash! Wanna know how we got here?" May asked excitedly. Drew shook his head.

"You don't want to know," he said. "Trust me. You really _don't_ want to know." May poked her boyfriend on the nose playfully.

"Oh, don't be such a spoilsport," she pouted. "Anyway, we saw what happened on TV in Johto. Well, I knew you wouldn't stick around at the League, so I called all of the nearest Poke'mon Centers to see if you'd passed through them. I got lucky and found two that you'd visited. I got a map and drew a line across the map through the Centers. Well, the only town on the line was Solaceon, so I dragged Drew and Max onto a Seagallop Ferry and when we arrived-"

"You wouldn't listen to me or Max, and you led us on a wild goose chase through half of Sinnoh."

"I prefer to call it the 'scenic route,' thank you very much," May sniffed. "So about an hour ago we were walking around in Solaceon Town, and Max asked: 'Where do you think Ash is?' And guess what? Angie's dad came up to us and asked us if we knew Ask Ketchum. He told us about what was going on, Angie, and he asked if we wanted to be a part of the party!" She was about to say more, when Max's eyes suddenly narrowed. He leaped onto Drew and started pulling his ears, causing the usually laid-back coordinator to scream in pain.

"Violation! Violation!"

"Auugh! Ow! What do you mean?! That was three feet!"

"No it wasn't, it was two feet, eleven-and-a-half inches!" May sweat-dropped as her little brother continued to torment her boyfriend.

"Ever since me 'n Drew started dating, Max assigned himself the job of stopping all the 'mushy stuff,'" May explained. "One of his rules is that we need to stay three feet away from each other." She then whispered conspiratorially to Ash and Angie. "But with so many couples here, he's gonna have his work cut out for him, 'cause I _know_ that he's gonna try and keep everyone separated."

"That reminds me," Misty and Max said at the same time. They each grabbed one of Brock's ears and pulled in opposite directions. "This is to make up for all of the times we weren't able to pull you away from every pretty girl you met." They both turned to Ash. "Who ended up with that job, anyway?" At that moment, Croagunk escaped from his Pokeball and sent a Poison Jab into Brock's stomach. Groaning in pain, the Poke'mon breeder collapsed, unconscious. Max left Brock to be dragged away by his Poison Poke'mon.

"Hey, everyone," he shouted, grabbing everyone's attention. "I have a very important announcement."

"Here we go," May muttered under her breath.

"I heard that," Max responded. "Now, I will be setting down some ground rules for everyone. From this point onward, there will be no hugging, kissing _(gag)_, or any other forms of public displays of affection." He made a face as though he had swallowed something particularly disgusting. "Also, all couples need to stay three feet away from each other. Failure to comply will result in very painful consequences." May grabbed Drew's hand.

"Look Max! Me 'n Drew are holding hands!" As Max ran toward the coordinators, they separated to the required three feet. At the same time, Misty and Tracy grabbed each other's hands.

"Hey, Max," the couple called out. "Over here!" As Max turned around and began rushing at the Cerulean Gym Leader and Professor Oak's assistant. The two separated as Dawn bought Max's attention to her.

"Look, I'm giving the grandson of the poetry guy a hug," she squealed happily. Gary's face flushed in embarrassment.

"Um, Dawn, what do you think you're doing?" Gary's face flushed to a dark red as Dawn snuggled deeper into his chest. All around the room, chuckles of amusement could be heard. Dawn was enjoying herself too much to pay attention to May's little brother, who leaped onto both the hugger and the hugged. A roiling cloud of dust was created as a fight ensued. When the dust cleared, Gary was standing up from the couch, holding Max by the back of his shirt-collar. "Never," he growled. "Try. That. Again. Got it?" Max nodded rapidly. Gary dropped Max unceremoniously, and he sat back down on the couch. Dawn looked around the room, nervously looking for a way to break the awkward silence.

"Um, guess what!" Dawn said cheerfully. "Barry and Zoey are da-MMPHH!" Dawn was cut off mid-sentence by Zoey's hand clamping over her mouth. But everyone figured out what was going on anyway.

"So are you a coordinator?" Misty asked the red-haired girl.

"Yeah," Zoey answered. "And Barry is a trainer. I'm from Snowpoint City, and he's from Twinleaf Town. Where are you from?"

"Oh, I'm the Cerulean City Gym Leader, in the Kanto Region. My specialty is Water-Type Poke'mon like Azurill." She placed the baby Poke'mon on the floor and let it bounce on its tail.

"Boy, Ash sure has a lot of friends," Zoey commented. "He's really lucky to have met so many good people."

"Actually, it's kind of the other way around," Misty explained. "Ash is a really good person, and he'll do just about anything to protect his friends. Not that he doesn't have his personality faults, though. Have you noticed his ego? I used to always get annoyed with him." Misty blinked and looked around the room. "Where is he, anyway? And where is that other girl he was hanging out with?" At that moment, Ash and Angie walked in, each carrying a huge plate of cookies.

"Hey," Ash called out. "Who wants some cookies?" Everyone, except for the comatose Brock and Angie's parents, rushed toward the plates. "Me 'n Angie baked them ourselves!" Ash proclaimed proudly. Everyone stopped dead in their tracks when they heard this.

"Oh, come on!" Angie complained. "We didn't poison them or anything!" She grabbed a cookie and started eating. "See? I'm not dead!" After seeing proof that the cookies weren't deadly, like Ash's Poffins, everyone dug in with gusto. Brock groaned as he regained consciousness.

"Ears. Stomach. Pain. Ow," Brock muttered, getting up. Ash stared at his friend in concern.

"Brock, are you okay? You usually recover faster than this." The breeder nodded, growing steadier on his feet by the second.

"I'll be fine. But from now on, I'm avoiding Misty-Max-Croagunk attacks."

"Excuse me, everyone," Angie's mother called out. "Please listen. Now, as soon as the last two guests arrive, everyone will prepare for our Valentine's Tournament." An instant later, someone knocked on the front door.

"I'll get it!" Ash and Angie both ran down a hallway to the front door. Angie beat Ash to the door and swung it open. The young trainers gasped in shock and surprise as they saw the purple-haired youth standing in the doorway.

Oh no! It seems that Paul has managed to find the 'secret' hideout of our heroes! Or has he? Will Ash be able to handle another encounter with his tormentor? Or will Angie let loose her frustrations on Paul? A major turn of events is about to unfold! Send a question, comment, or review to yours truly! See you in a few weeks!


	6. A Costume and a Conspiracy!

Hi, I'm back. I was able to get this chapter posted sooner than I thought! I am a writer and nothing's going to stop me! Thank you all for your wonderful reviews! I really appreciate it! Please keep it up! Now, for the confrontation you've all been hyped up about for a week!

* * *

Standing in the doorway was a tall, purple-haired young man. He was clothed in a green apron over a salmon-pink shirt and khaki pants. He wore his hair in a ponytail, and he smiled in greeting at Ash and Angie. For an instant, Ash thought that Paul was standing in front of him, but he quickly realized his mistake. Angie, however, was unable to see the case of mistaken identity. She rushed forward, slamming into the taller trainer and pummeling him ruthlessly.

"You!" she yelled. "You jerk! You twisted idiot!" Her screaming attracted the people in the living room to the front door. "You cruel inhuman monster!"

"Augh! Ow!" Reggie shouted from within the cloud of dust that had risen. "Wait! Ouch! I'm not my brother! Ah! I'm not my brother! Help!"

"Yeah, right!" Angie screeched. "Liar! Liar!"

"Angie, wait!" Ash had to yell to make himself heard above the din. "He's not lying! He isn't-" Ash broke off as something caught his eye. A blue orb about the size of a baseball was soaring through the air toward the combatants. Realizing what it was, and that it was too late to warn Angie, Ash leaped in front of the oncoming Aura Sphere. The volatile attack exploded, sending Ash into Angie and Reggie.

"Lucario," a female voice complained. "Can't you break up a fight _without_ using Aura Sphere?" A pink-haired girl wearing a tight blue tank top and baggy blue pants ran over to Reggie. Ash was being administered to by Brock, while Angie's parents helped their daughter up. "Reggie, are you okay?" the pink-haired girl asked.

"Yeah," the purple-haired Veilstone City native replied. "I guess the surprise didn't go as planned, huh?" he sheepishly asked the youths crowded in the doorway.

"Nope," Barry spoke up for the first time. "You'd think that it would be Ash who would be beating you up." A pained expression appeared on his face. "I never thought Paul could be so mean. Seriously, I thought that he was better than that."

"My brother has always had a cruel streak," Reggie stated flatly. "Be thankful that you didn't learn the hard way, like Maylene did."

"Well, Reggie," Ash said cheerfully, relieved that he hadn't had to face his rival. "I'm glad that you were able to make it here, but how did you figure out that I was coming here?"

"I was at the tournament, so I saw what happened," Reggie explained as he rubbed a bump on his head. "I overheard you talking with Brock and Dawn about going to Solaceon Town. I called Maylene and asked her if she'd like to come along, because we both knew that you needed people who could help you recover from Paul. I went to Veilstone to pick her up and to grab some of my Poke'mon. After taking an airship to Solaceon, we ran into your parents, Angie, as well as Zoey and Barry. Barry came up with the idea for me to arrive after everyone else, but before Maylene. I think he was intending for you to mistake me for my brother."

Barry backed up nervously as Angie stomped up to him, fire in her eyes, seeming bent on causing maximum physical damage. Zoey placed herself firmly in Angie's way, clearly intending to prevent Angie from hurting Barry. The two girls, one with fiery hair, the other with a fiery attitude, glared at each other for a moment that seemed to last for an eternity. The spell was broken by a loud yell from Maylene. The Veilstone City Gym Leader flipped forward, using one of her bare feet to kick away an Aura Sphere. She landed and sent a spinning hook-kick into another Aura Sphere.

"Lucario! Come on!" the young martial artist complained. "It's a holiday! Can't we just take a break from training? Just one day? Please?" One could see a vein throbbing on the forehead of the Aura Poke'mon. In response to his trainer's question, the canine-like Poke'mon leaped high into the air and sent a rapid-fire flurry of Aura Spheres at Maylene.

"Run!" Reggie shouted in panic, grabbing Max throwing him out of the line of fire. No one needed to be told twice. Trainers, coordinators, two parents, and one Poke'mon breeder scattered like chaff before a strong wind. Unable to escape, Reggie instinctively struck out at an Aura Sphere, deflecting it. "Hey," he said, surprised. "I blocked one!" But then he got hit in the head with another Aura Sphere that knocked him out. Meanwhile, Maylene was doing her best to knock away the dangerous blue orbs, but some ended up making craters in the ground dangerously close to the house.

Lucario began streaking down from the sky at Maylene, one of his paws enveloped in the golden energy of a Force Palm attack. A panicked Maylene crossed her arms in front of her chest in a defensive pose. Suddenly sensing danger, Lucario spun around in midair and found himself face-to-face with an orange-winged Poke'mon.

"Mothim," Angie's father yelled. "Air Slash, now!" Mothim's wings glowed pure white with energy. The Moth Poke'mon made slashing movements with his wings, sending multiple crescents of Flying-Type energy into the Aura Poke'mon at point-blank range. Lucario hit the ground hard, eyes swirled over. Before Maylene could get to her fallen Poke'mon, several other Poke'mon filed out of the house, causing jaws to drop and several eyes to twitch.

First out was Dawn's Piplup, wearing a red cape and a matching mask. Zoey's Glameow wore a sparkling tiara. Gary's Umbreon was cloaked in a black sheet with silver sequins. Riding Umbreon was Dawn's Buneary, dressed in a faux grass skirt and lei, and Ash's Pikachu, wearing a tiny tiki mask and carrying a rough wooden staff. Tracy's aged Scyther flew through the door, his face, blades, and wings highlighted with what appeared to be red paint. Cutting an even more ominous sight was May's Blaziken, wearing a ninja-like facemask and matching shirt. Two Roserade filed out next, expertly twirling sparkling batons. Shinx followed close behind, wearing a tiny police hat. Buizel strolled out with confidence, wearing a tuxedo, a top hat, and a monocle. Heracross wore a fearsome-looking bronze war helmet and carried a plastic mace and chain, which he wielded much less gracefully than the Roserade. Misty's Corsola waddled out, completely adorned with brightly colored ribbons. Barry's Empoleon, wearing nothing, came out last, having to duck through the doorway.

The motley crew of Poke'mon peeled the unconscious Aura Poke'mon out of a Lucario-shaped crater and dragged him into the house. An awkward silence fell as the humans outside stared in disbelief at the door, as if it would suddenly expel another round of weirdness. Ash picked a Pokeball off of his belt and stared at it.

"What in the name of Arceus is Buizel doing out of his Pokeball?"

More silence. Reggie coughed.

"Um, Mr. Aoi?" he asked. "You said something about a tournament earlier?"

"What? Oh, yes. Tournament. Um, in one hour, we will begin the Tournament. Everyone will choose a partner and get dressed in some nice clothes." Several mouths opened in protest, mostly from the boys in the group. "We have a chest full of fancy outfits and accessories for those who don't have any formal wear with them. The chest contains outfits similar to those in the box that the Poke'mon got into."

"That's what I was afraid of," Gary muttered. Dawn sidled over to Gary and placed one of her hands on his.

"Don't worry, it'll be fun!" Dawn said with her usual amount of excessive cheerfulness. She rested her head on Gary's shoulder and closed her eyes, a dreamy smile on her face. Gary's eyes were closed too, but much more tightly than Dawn's. He also had a tight frown on his face, and he was taking deep breaths.

"_The first part of the tournament,"_ Mr. Aoi continued, annoyed at the interruption, "will be a Double Appeal. Each trainer will pick one Poke'mon, and each pair of trainers will plan out an appeal that will be preformed in front of a panel of judges. Max, would you like to join the grownups and be a judge?"

"Yeah," Max laughed. "This is gonna be great!" He suddenly stopped. "But, Mr. Aoi, that means that someone's gonna be without a partner." Brock raised his hand and cleared his throat.

"If nobody minds, I can sit this one out," he offered. "Someone has to cook the dinner, anyway. Might as well be someone who can make a feast."

"Thank you for volunteering, Brock," Mr. Aoi accepted the offer warmly. "The second part of the tournament will take place after dinner. Each pair of trainers will face off against another pair in a tag battle. The battle will be decided when both Poke'mon from one team are unable to battle. We will make sure that each pair of trainers faces off against all of the other pairs. After that, bed time. All of you are going to have to camp out here for the night. There isn't enough room in the house. Now, everyone pick a partner." The trainers looked around, and then stared at Mr. Aoi.

"I think," Gary said slowly, with Dawn still clinging to his arm. "That it is pretty obvious who is partnered with whom." He then muttered under his breath: "Whether we like it or not." Dawn turned to the young researcher.

"Wh-what do you mean by that?" she asked tearfully. Gary swallowed nervously, not noticing that Drew was shaking his head sadly. Confused, Ash and Angie scooted over to where the green-haired coordinator was sitting.

"Um, Drew?" Ash asked quietly. "What in the name of Arceus is going on?"

"And why," Angie whispered, "does Dawn look like she's about to bawl her eyes out?"

"Right now, Dawn is employing a form of psychological manipulation called the 'guilt trip,'" Drew explained. "And poor Gary over there is about to fall for it completely." He nodded toward Gary, who was attempting to defuse the situation.

"I-I didn't mean anything, d-don't worry." Gary cringed as tears began streaming down Dawn's face.

"You say that as if you don't care about me!" she wailed, turning away from him.

"The guilt trip," Drew continued quietly, "involves making the other person feel horrible, and then asking that person for something. Dawn doesn't actually as bad as she looks, she's just buttering Gary up. I suspect that, despite his attitude, Gary has feelings toward Dawn. Dawn suspects this as well, and even someone as romantically dense as you, Ash, should be able to figure out that Dawn has a crush on Gary." Ash snorted in annoyance at the insult.

"How do you figure that Ash is dense?" Angie asked. _Well,_ she thought. _This explains a lot. Phew, lucky break for me, though. Ash won't understand any 'hints' that my parents drop 'by accident.'_

"Me 'n May will tell you later," Drew murmured. "Now pay attention. I believe that Dawn is about to spring the trap." Ash and Angie realized that they had missed a great deal of conversation between Dawn and Gary. Dawn was gazing at Gary with a tearstained face, eyes wide and glistening with hope. Gary, meanwhile, seemed paralyzed with fear.

"Gary," Dawn said haltingly. "Do… do you love me?" Gary flushed to a deep red, and he instinctively glanced around to make sure no one was watching him. Unfortunately for him, everyone was watching him with great interest. Gary's face flushed to an even deeper shade of red.

"U-u-um, d-do I have t-to answer th-that question r-right now?" he stuttered as he turned back to Dawn.

"Yes."

Gary screwed his eyes shut. He took a deep breath and whispered something.

"What?" Dawn asked. Gary muttered again. "I can't hear you," Dawn said.

"I SAID 'YES, I LOVE YOU' OKAY?!" Gary shouted. His eyes flew open in horror as he realized what he had done, and he hid his face in his hands out of embarrassment. Dawn squealed happily and wrapped Gary in a tight hug, and all around the field trainers and coordinators alike applauded. All of this only increased Gary's embarrassment.

"Thank you," Dawn squeaked in Gary's ear, squeezing him tighter. Gary returned the embrace awkwardly, and then was struck by a suspicion.

"You were faking, weren't you," he whispered, so no one but Dawn could hear.

"Yup," Dawn whispered back. "But it was worth it, right?" Gary sighed in exasperation.

"I suppose," he said reluctantly. He then turned his head to Ash. "Ash," he ground out menacingly. "I swear, if you make fun of me, I will make sure that you regret it."

Ash was about to answer when a loud roar emanated from the house. The front door was flung open as the Poke'mon from earlier streamed out in a panic, no longer wearing their costumes. Loud bangs and crashes moved through the house toward the door, and then _something_ burst out in a raging fury.

* * *

Ha ha! And I bet you all thought it was _Paul_ standing in the doorway at the beginning of the chapter! _April Fools, suckers!_ Sorry, I just had to get that out of my system. None of my other April Fool's Day pranks worked. But what could the _thing_ coming out of the house be? Send in your opinions, comments, and questions as reviews or PMs. See you soon, I hope! I wonder how many people will guess what the _thing_ is?


	7. Somethings Wicked This Way Come

Hi, Pokefan30648 is back. I am very disappointed that, while people said "poor Gary," or "poor Lucario" or something, no one said "Poor Reggie!" I mean, the poor guy got beaten up at the beginning of the last chapter! And he didn't even deserve it! And I am also very confused that no one correctly guessed the thing that was raging in the house. I suggest that readers reread the story carefully, because I have a lot of foreshadowing. You know what? I think my foreshadowing may be a bit too subtle. So before you read on, reread the story, starting at the first chapter, and pay attention to even the least noticeable or irrelevant sentence. It will likely be a very important part of the story later. Have you done that? Then read on! Send me your speculation as a review, and anonymous reviews are allowed!

* * *

Maylene's Lucario burst out of the house through the doorway, and he was in a terrible rage. The reason for Lucario's anger was easy to see: He was clothed in a very frilly pink dress. The furious Aura Poke'mon ripped the dress in half and roared in challenge to the Poke'mon who'd dared to mock him. His eyes burned with vengeance, and the Fighting/Steel-Type ignited a Bone Rush in preparation of dishing out justice. Maylene flailed about helplessly.

"Somebody do something," she cried out in panic. "I don't have a Pokeball for Lucario!" She started when someone placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. The pink-haired Veilstone City Gym Leader turned around to find herself face-to-face with Reggie.

"Don't worry, I can handle it," he told Maylene reassuringly. Maylene blushed as the purple-haired Poke'mon breeder turned toward the conflict. Ash, Angie, and Misty had been able to reorganize their Poke'mon and were currently engaging the maddened Aura Poke'mon in combat, with very pitiful results.

"Shinx, use Thunder Fang," Angie cried out. "Heracross, use Megahorn!" Angie's Shinx rushed toward Lucario, a ball of electric-blue energy in her mouth. The Spark Poke'mon leaped at the Aura Poke'mon, but was knocked away by the Bone Rush attack. Heracross blocked Lucario from making a finishing strike with his Megahorn, allowing Shinx to get up and retreat a short distance. The two Fighting-Type Poke'mon sparred intensely for half a moment, until Lucario's Bone Rush slipped past the Bug/Fighting type's defenses. The Single Horn Poke'mon was thrown into a tree, and the force of the blow caused Heracross to faint. Angie quickly used her opportunity to strike. "Shinx, use Discharge!" Angie yelled to her Electric-Type Poke'mon. Shinx shouted as she unleashed a volley of electrical energy at Lucario. Lucario roared in pain as the Electric-Type strike coursed through him. He then struck out with his Bone Rush, sending the Spark Poke'mon flying. Ash quickly rushed to Angie's defense.

"Buizel, use Aqua Jet! Pikachu, counter Bone Rush with Iron Tail!" he yelled. Pikachu spun around, tail glowing and increased in size. The Mouse Poke'mon smashed his Steel-Type strike against Lucario's Fighting-Type attack. At the same time, Buizel rushed in from Lucario's blind side, enveloped in a powerful stream of water. But just before Pikachu could land another blow against Lucario, the glowing green rod of Bone Rush dissolved. Pikachu's Iron Tail missed, causing the Electric type to stumble. The yellow Poke'mon staggered as he was slashed by a Metal Claw attack from Lucario. With astounding speed, the Aura Poke'mon leaped into the air, causing Buizel to miss his mark and collide with his teammate. Ash's Poke'mon staggered to their feet, only to be smashed flat by an Aura Sphere. Lucario was about to finish them with a Force Palm technique when Misty entered the fray.

"Staryu, use Rapidspin! Corsola, cover Staryu with Pin Missile!" Misty's Staryu spun rapidly, flying around like a guided missile. It struck quickly, not doing much damage, but harassing Lucario so that he couldn't concentrate on Pikachu or Buizel. Corsola's spikes glowed as she sent a flurry of needles into the battle. The angered Aura Poke'mon let loose a fearsome howl, causing everyone to flinch. Lucario used the instant's break to go in the offensive, swinging and whirling his Bone Rush attack all around himself, skillfully deflecting the Pin Missile attack into Staryu. Misty's Poke'mon continued their attack, attempting to wear out the angry Fighting/Steel Poke'mon. Reggie tapped Ash on the shoulder and motioned Barry over.

"I have a plan," Reggie whispered urgently. "But I need your help." Ash and Barry listen as Reggie explained his plan, and they both agreed that it was risky but was likely to work. The three trainers called out their Poke'mon who could carry out the plan, and the three identical Poke'mon were instructed accordingly. The trainers turned back to the battle, waiting for their chance to strike. Misty's Poke'mon were fighting valiantly, but they were clearly outclassed. Lucario sent an Aura Sphere at each of Misty's Poke'mon, sending them flying. But in doing so, Lucario left himself open to attack.

"Staraptor, Brave Bird now!" Ash cried out.

"Show 'em you're the best! Use Brave Bird!" Barry yelled.

"Staraptor, we're counting on you! Brave Bird!" Reggie called.

Flying in a triangular spearhead formation, the three Predator Poke'mon dove from the sky, bursting into flame. They flew along the rays of the sun, so that when Lucario attempted to look for the attack, the Fighting/Steel-Type was blinded. Of course, being the Aura Poke'mon, Lucario was not about to be stopped by something so trivial as losing his eyesight. Concentrating, Lucario sensed the auras of those around him. Doing so allowed the Aura Poke'mon to calm down. He detected the trio of Normal/Flying-Type Poke'mon Rushing at him, but he was suddenly aware of another attack being launched from a different direction. Quickly realizing that escape was impossible, Lucario dropped to one leg, bracing himself for the worst. Just as the energy from Brave Bird hit critical, causing the flames to change into a sparkling blue Aura, May, Misty, Drew, and Dawn sprang their trap.

"Blaziken, trap Lucario with Fire Spin!" May ordered her Fire/Fighting-Type starter Poke'mon. The Blaze Poke'mon leaped high into the air, sending down a helix of red-and-orange flames that encircled Lucario.

"Flygon," Drew's voice cut through the chaos, calm yet forceful. "Boost Fire Spin with Flamethrower." Drew's Dragon/Ground-Type Poke'mon flew into the air to join May's Blaziken, his mouth issuing a jet of fire that increased the size and power of the Fire Spin attack.

"Piplup, use Bubblebeam!" Dawn shouted. From Blaziken's shoulder, Dawn's Penguin Poke'mon launched a spiraling stream of bubbles that flew down the center of the enhanced Fire Spin attack. Blue bolts of energy were created as the two different energies combined.

"Staryu, use Water Gun!" Misty yelled. A powerful stream of water sprayed forth from the red gem at the center of Misty's Water-Type Poke'mon. The Water Gun attack flew down the center of the whirling Bubblebeam attack. The massively powerful combined attack, more powerful than the sum of its parts, blasted into Lucario just as the three Staraptor smashed into the Aura Poke'mon. The release of so much energy at one moment created a huge explosion, sending a large plume of smoke high into the atmosphere and making a shockwave that ripped through the air for a great distance.

* * *

Far away, someone sat at a picnic table, glaring his way through a book. His Poke'mon were resting a short distance away. A Torterra looked up from its food, sensing a disturbance through the ground. The Torterra's trainer looked up from his book as he heard a low rumbling in the distance. Shifting his gaze to the west, he saw a fading mushroom cloud. The trainer stood up, studying the cloud of smoke, thinking hard. Coming to a decision, he recalled his Poke'mon. Gathering his gear, he began traveling in the direction of the disturbance.

"Whatever created that explosion had tremendous power," said his stern voice. "If it was a wild Poke'mon that created that explosion, I will capture it. But if it's a Poke'mon with a trainer, I will challenge that trainer. Perhaps I will find an opponent worthy of my time."

* * *

"Hey, wot was dat!" a cat-like Poke'mon exclaimed. Meowth's companions, a tall red-haired woman and a blue-haired man, looked up from a rather dismal lunch of a single cracker each to look at the tower of smoke that had suddenly appeared not but a mile away. "Whadda ya think made _dat_?"

"Well, whatever it is, we'll steal it and give it to the boss," the red-haired woman said with a cackling laugh.

"I can see it now," Meowth said dreamily. "_The boss is tryin' ta… ta… _what would da boss need an explody thingy for?"

"I really don't know," the blue-haired man said. "But if we give him something _that_ powerful, think of the promotions _we'd_ get!" The not-quite-evil trio cheered as they thought about riches and good times.

"Wooo-bufett!"

"Mime, mime!"

* * *

Smoke and dust obscured everything. Ash felt as though someone had thrown him around like a rag doll. He groped around, trying to figure out where he was. He ended up patting something soft, and Ash heard a gasp.

"Who's grabbing my head?!"

"Sorry Angie," Ash apologized, retracting is arm a bit. "Here, _(cough) _hold on to my hand. I can't see, and I think we're _(hack cough)_ next to a cliff or something." Ash felt his face heat up as Angie's hand gripped his, and he thanked Arceus that no one could see him through the dust.

"There aren't _(cough) _any cliffs in my yard!" Angie said as she spat out dust.

"Well there's a big empty _(cough)_ space where the ground should be over here," Ash retorted. "Feel for yourself."

"Okay." Angie stood up and dragged Ash to his feet, and she strode confidently forward. "See," she said smugly. "There's nothing he- AAAAAHHHHH!" Angie's voice was cut off by a scream as she started falling. She clung to Ash, who tried to keep his balance. He felt himself at the fine line of balance where a single twitch or a light breeze spelled the difference between survival and disaster. He felt himself tilting inexorably toward the cliff, and every muscle in his body strained to keep the balance. Angie felt herself being pulled back onto solid ground, and grabbed Ash's hand with her free hand. And that was all it took.

Ash lost his battle against the irresistible pull of gravity. He and Angie gripped each other in terror as they bounced down the cliff. The two trainers were poked, jabbed, and scratched by sticks and roots that were poking out of the cliff face. The pair landed sooner than they expected, with a muddy _squelch_. They tried to get up, but they continuously slipped in the warm, slowly rising mire, entangled together by roots. Ash grunted something that sounded pessimistic. Angie tried to see the good side of things.

"Hey, at least we aren't dead," she said with false optimism. "We've found a hot spring, and the dust is settling, so we can at least see and breathe." Angie stiffened as she began to hear voices at the top of the hole.

"Yes, perhaps you can see, but that also means that everyone else can see you," a smug voice rang out.

"Angie, why is it that only you and Ash are in that mud pile?" the stern voice of Angie's father asked accusingly.

"Would it be wrong of me to be recording this?" the first voice asked.

* * *

Sigh. When will Ash 'n Angie get a break? And more importantly, when will Ash and Angie finally admit their feelings toward each other? Well, now might not be the best time. Send in your reviews! They are a big help. See ya soon, I hope!


	8. The Bubble's Burst!

Come on, people. Be patient. Here's the new chapter. Some new faces appear, and Team Rocket makes an appearance! Read on!

* * *

A hazy shadow loomed over Ash and Angie as they looked up to the edge of the pit. The owner of the shadow wore a wide grin, and on its wrist was an orange, watch-like device that had a small video recorder extended. Barry grinned evilly as Ash and Angie struggled and flopped over each other trying to disentangle themselves and prevent anything embarrassing from being recorded.

"It's too late," Barry said, wagging his finger at the duo in the muddy crater. "And there's nothing you two can do to stop me. I'm gonna be recording everything, and-" Barry was cutoff from his speech by a well-aimed ball of mud hitting his face. "HEY! You can't hit the to-be greatest Poke'mon Trainer in the world with a mud ball!" Barry yelled angrily as he wiped mud off his face. "You've got ten seconds to pay up!" He glanced at his Poketech. "Hold on," he muttered, tapping buttons on the device irritably. "Gotta get the Timekeeper application set up… There! Now, you've got ten sec-, wait, which one of you threw that at me?"

"Threw what at you?" Angie asked innocently. She tried to put an innocent expression on her face as well, but the mud was drying and making it hard for her to move her face. She turned to Ash, who was trying not to laugh out loud. "Did you throw anything at Barry?"

"Nope," Ash lied convincingly. He nudged Angie. "Do you think he's okay? I didn't see anyone throw any mud at him. I think he's hallucinating." He and Angie giggled as Barry hopped up and down with rage.

"Hey, I know that one of you is lying, because there's all this mud on my face!" Barry yelled.

"I don't see any mud on his face," Ash said loudly to Angie. "Do you think he's sick?"

"Yeah, maybe he should lie down for a bit-" Angie grinned as Barry lost his temper.

"Alright, that does it! You _both_ have to pay up now! Ten seconds! Nineeightsevensixfivefourthreetwo- what are you just sitting there for?! Get moving!" Ash smirked as he reached behind himself to grab another pile of mud. Instead, he grabbed what felt like a waterlogged pillow under the surface of the muck. Pulling, Ash retrieved an unrecognizable bundle of feathers that chirped weakly.

"Oh, shoot. You guys," Ash yelled. "Our Poke'mon are in here!" He passed a half-drowned Staraptor up to Barry as the other trainers and Angie's parents dropped into the mire, digging and wading for missing Poke'mon. Barry was left in charge of rinsing and identifying the masses of muck that were handed up to him. He called out his Empoleon again, ordering it to carefully use Hydro Pump to wash of the other Poke'mon. "Hey Barry," Ash yelled to the only blonde in the group. "What Poke'mon do you have up there?

"I've got my Empoleon, a Staraptor, a Pikachu, a Buneary, and a Scyther. Oh, wait," Barry said as his Empoleon blasted the slime off of another Poke'mon. "Who has a Diglett?" Barry's question was greeted by "No," "Not me," "Me neither," and such like. "Well, I guess you guys got a wild Poke'mon. Pay attention to what your doing down there!"

"Oh, yeah?" Ash yelled back. "I don't see _you_ down here helping, and I-AAARRGH!" "HEY!" "WHAAUGH!" Barry had is back turned, unaware of what was taking place behind him.

"Ha, ha, you guys," Barry called over his back. "You're not fooling me, just get the next Poke'mon up here, will ya?" Barry jumped as he heard a feminine laugh behind him that was traced with evil and insanity, and perhaps helium. Barry spun around in midair, landing like a ninja. That is to say, he _thought_ he landed like a ninja.

"Barry, get us out of here!" Zoey yelled from within a large, transparent orb. The orb was perforated at the bottom, allowing the mud to drain and sifting out the trainers and their Poke'mon. A sleek, triangular flying-saucer carried the orb by means of three sucker-tipped cables. At the center of the saucer was a three-person cockpit that contained Jessie, James, and Meowth of Team Rocket. "Hurry," the red-haired coordinator pleaded as Dawn, Gary, and Tracy attempted to pry apart the orb.

"And Barry, that's not how you land like a ninja," Ash yelled at his rival.

"Oh, yeah? And what do you know about ninjas, huh?" Barry challenged.

"I've been to ninja school, duh!" Ash rolled his eyes in exasperation.

"Ash, you've been to ninja school?" Angie asked with awe. Ash felt himself swell with pride.

"HEY!" Jessie yelled from her pilot seat. "We never even got the chance to do our motto yet!" She took a deep breath, struck a pose, and-

"Empoleon, use Hydro Cannon!" Barry yelled. Barry's Empoleon sent a large orb of water crashing into the underside of the UFO, causing it to wobble and weave dangerously. James jumped up, throwing a Pokeball.

"Carnavine, use Bullet Seed!" James' Bug Catcher Poke'mon leaped out at Empoleon, did a u-turn, and grabbed James in a big hug. "No, no!" the male Rocket shouted. "Get the twerp, not me!" The Grass-Type Poke'mon turned around to face it's opponent. Spreading its jaws as wide as possible, Carnavine unleashed a stream of glowing yellow seeds at Barry's Empoleon. Already exhausted, the Water/Steel-Type fainted.

"Empoleon, no!" Barry plucked a Pokeball off his belt as he recalled his Emperor Poke'mon. "You're up next! Heracross!" Barry's Bug/Fighting-Type appeared in a flash of light. "Heracross, bash that stupid thing with Slam!" Acting quickly, Jessie threw one of her Pokeballs into the air.

"Yanmega, stop that twerp in his tracks with Silver Wind!" Jessie's Ogre Darner Poke'mon burst forth in a shower of hearts and sparkles, causing all present to pause in confusion. "Hm! Guess I forgot to take the Ball Capsule off." Yanmega, unperturbed by its unusual entrance, flapped its semi-transparent wings in a blur that sent glittering whorls of fine, sand-like scales into its opponent. Barry's Heracross was thrown back by the powerful Bug-Type attack. The Single Horn Poke'mon skidded across the ground, but the resilient Poke'mon remained on its feet. Barry's hands clenched into fists.

"We can't let them get away," he shouted desperately. "Attackattackattack!" Barry's Heracross feinted to the left and then tried to fly past to the right of the Ogre Darner Poke'mon in his way. But, fast as Heracross was, he was no match for the trademark turn of speed and agility that Yanmega's species could call upon. A vicious strike with Wing Attack ended the battle, forcing Barry to recall his Poke'mon before it was injured further. Zoey sighed in frustration.

"Barry, I keep telling you," she said sternly. "There's more to a battle than attack. You need to think about defense and strategy as well!" She pulled a Pokeball off her belt. "Can't see," she muttered. "Finneon, use Water Gun to rinse the mud out of here!" Zoey's Water-Type squirted clean, pure water at the top of the sphere, cleaning out the muck that was blinding them. Unfortunately for everyone in the plastic bubble, the water was rather cold. It also made the sides of the bubble very slippery, making it so that anyone who happened to be trying to climb up the sides ended up sliding into whoever was behind them.

"Ha!" cried Meowth, misinterpreting the Water Gun attack. "No attack can break that bubble! And now," he continued as he grabbed a device that looked like a fishing rod with a glove on the end. "Time ta grab Pikachu an' get out a here!" The glove extended on a steel cable and snatched Pikachu from the ground. "Ha ha, gotcha!" Meowth exclaimed as he reeled in his catch. He had certainly nabbed Pikachu, but he found himself staring at a very angry brown face. Panicking, Meowth threw the rod away to get the ferocious looking Buneary away from himself. The Rabbit Poke'mon used her Bounce technique to catch the falling Mouse Poke'mon.

"Time to cut our losses and get out of here," James said as he steered the flying mech away from the Daycare Center. "We can get Pikachu later, after we've delivered this lot to the boss!"

"Da boss is gonna love this loot we're givin' him!"

"Woooo-buffet!"

"Mime, mime!"

"What did you just call us?!" Angie screeched. "Did you just call us 'loot?!' How dare you!"

"Yeah, who do you think you are?!" Dawn yelled up.

"Be quiet, you twerps," Jessie shouted back. "Be happy that we don't have _everyone_ yet." She gave a cruel little chuckle as the flying saucer gained altitude. "Don't worry, we'll get that twerp we left behind, and that Pikachu too."

"You won't get away with this," Angie's mother shouted.

"Oh, but we will," James crowed with triumph. "We're getting away with it now! That twerp down there doesn't have any Poke'mon that can fight us." Indeed, Barry was trying in vain to grab the bottom of the bubble that the trainers were in.

Suddenly a thin green line appeared, passing through both the bubble and the UFO. It seemed to cut through reality, shredding the fabric of space-time. The bubble shattered, releasing everyone from the transparent prison. The UFO simply exploded.

* * *

A strange place, dimly lit by a pale green glow. Two shadowy figures stood near each other, silhouetted against a brighter opening to the outside. They seemed to be arguing.

"Now look what you've done," a male voice said. "That's what, the fifteenth one so far? And we've been here for _how_ long? Two days? Three days?"

"Four, and if you hadn't ducked…" a female voice shot back.

"It's an automatic response to duck when someone throws a rock at your head," the male voice retorted stoutly. "No more rocks. Please."

"But…" the female voice said pleadingly. "But rocks are fun."

"No they aren't, just stop."

"Fine…" the shadow that had the female voice pouted.

"And you can start by dropping that rock behind your back on the ground." The shadow that had the male voice started tapping its foot.

"What rock?" the female voice asked innocently. The male voice seemed to be taking deep breaths and counting to ten.

"The one you're about to throw, which will end up hitting yet another reality bubble and causing mayhem in the real world." The female silhouette grumbled as it let go of the rock in its hand.

"Fine, no rocks," it said as it pulled a shadowy rectangle from a pocket in its skirt.

"NO BRICKS! PLEASE NO BRICKS!" the male voice screamed in panic. Another shadow, taller and thinner, entered through the cave opening. A smaller figure entered with him.

"Calm down you two," the new figure said. It had a male voice, and it was very friendly sounding. "Break time's over. It's on the move again. Are your Poke'mon ready? 'Cause it looks like we're going to need to do some sprinting today." The first two figures nodded and plucked Pokeballs from their belts.

"Cuddy, let's go!" the female figure shouted. A blue Poke'mon appeared with a black mane. It roared its readiness as its eyes flashed.

"Luuux-ray!"

"Yanmega, time to fly!" the younger male figure called out. A green Poke'mon appeared, its semi-transparent wings thrumming the surrounding air. The female figure shuddered.

"I hate that thing, it creeps me out," the figure whimpered.

"Now, now, don't you worry," the oldest figure said with a chuckle. "You should know by now that appearance doesn't mean anything. I mean, look at the Poke'mon we're researching!"

"I suppose…"

"Now both of you come on! I need both of you and your Poke'mon today, so keep up! And keep your eyes peeled!"

"Yes sir!" both the younger figures saluted. Everyone laughed as they leaped out of the tunnel and awkwardly bounced away, three Poke'mon gliding behind their trainers with far greater ease and grace.

* * *

What just happened? Any ideas on who the shadows could be? Here's a hint: Two of the people are OCs! And what happened to Ash, Angie, and the rest of the gang? Keep sending in those reviews. I've got a LOT of school work coming up, so it could be a while before anything new gets posted. See ya later!


	9. All Good Things

And now, for the answers you've all been waiting for! The green line was caused by a bubble in the Reverse World being destroyed by a thrown rock. The older person in the last part of the previous chapter was Newton from _Giratina and the Sky Warrior._ The male OC with the Yanmega is me, good ol' Pokefan30648! I will use the name Kakashi. The female OC with the Luxray named Cuddy is my good friend, Kyoku-Neko-Chan. She will use the name Kyoku. We could be making an appearance in a sequel. That's right! I've already got plans for a sequel! Random foreshadowing may occur, so keep alert! Now, just read on! Hope you enjoy!

* * *

Oh, and here is a message from Kakashi and Kyoku:

Kakashi: Anyone who calls Kyoku my "girlfriend" will find themselves strung upside down in an Ariados nest. And Kyoku has something to say as well, I think.

Kyoku: I have rocks.

Kakashi: *whimper*

* * *

Angie rubbed her eyes as she woke up, yawning. Sitting up, she pushed a large weight off of her chest. Ash's snoring body rolled onto the ground. Angie brushed herself off and looked around. What had once been a neatly trimmed grass field was now pockmarked with craters and sprinkled with torn bits of sheet metal and electrical components. A large pool of water bubbled near by, steam rising from the surface. Angie gulped. _Oh boy, am I in for it now! How am I gonna get out of this one? And where's Ash?_ Angie found him where she had pushed him off herself moments earlier. Ash's hat had flown high into a nearby tree, exposing his messy black hair to the elements. _He looks so _cute_ when he's sleeping,_ Angie thought to herself._ Bet he'd be so embarrassed if I told him that._ She stroked his hair distractedly as she looked for her parents and the other trainers. Her mother and father were on the ground further away, as were Max, Gary, Maylene, and Zoey. Angie panicked as she heard a snapping noise behind her, but it turned out that it was just Dawn, staggering out from between some bushes and apparently dragging about half of the local flora out of her hair. Angie quickly stood up and stuffed her hands in her pockets. _Did she see me doing that? I hope not!_ She turned away from Dawn, hiding her blushing face as she searched for more people.

Reggie crawled out of a bush, dragging Misty and Tracy. Both May and Drew had been unfortunate enough to end up landing in the rose bushes, and they were pulling thorns off each other with as much care as possible as they wandered into the once peaceful clearing. Pikachu could be heard trying to lead wayward Poke'mon back to the Daycare Center, but Piplup was attempting to lead everyone in the complete opposite direction of the Center. Slowly but surely, the yard filled with people and Poke'mon. Only one person and Poke'mon was missing. And one other thing.

"Hey, where's Barry?" Zoey asked, concern evident on her face. "Has anyone seen Barry?"

"Hey, Pikachu, you okay?" Ash asked his Electric-Type.

"Pika-pi, Ka chu Pikapi chu pika," the Mouse Poke'mon squeaked.

"Barry, where are you?" Zoey called out.

"Angie, how about you?" Angie jumped, startled for a moment.

"Um, uh, wha…" Angie realized that she was babbling. "Oh, uh, I'm, um, fine, yeah, just fine."

"Hold on," Ash said as he got up. "I need to make sure all of my Poke'mon are okay, and… oh no…" Ash's voice trailed off.

"What's wro-" Angie began to ask, but was cut off by a very happy Poke'mon.

"GLISCOR!" *Glomp*

"Yeah Gliscor, nice to see you too," Ash mumbled from under about ninety pounds of purple Poke'mon. Angie giggled as the Fangscorpion Poke'mon stuck out its tongue and winked. A large shadow passed overhead.

"Star-r-r-r-r-raptor!" Ash's Predator Poke'mon swooped through the air, riding the air currents and the afternoon thermals with two others of its kind. Gliscor leapt up into the air to catch an air current, but ended up crashing into a tree. Ash picked up the Ground/Flying-Type and threw it into the air, allowing it to catch a thermal.

"I know that Grotle and Monferno are in their Pokeballs," Ash said with relief. "That just leaves Buizel missing and… what happened to my hat?" Angie laughed at the forlorn expression on Ash's face, and she struggled to tell him.

"Y-your hat, it-it-it's in, hee hee hee, it's up that t-tree over there," she gasped out. Ash sagged.

"You don't mean that really tall tree over there, do you?" Ash asked weakly. "Oh man… it's up at the very top, too." Angie lost her balance and staggered into Ash, giggling all the way. Ash steadied the turquoise-haired girl as she wiped tears of mirth from her eyes. The giggling came to an abrupt halt when Angie's father cleared his throat meaningfully.

"It's always good," he started to say, "for a husband to be able to get his wife to lau- mmph!" Angie clapped her hands over her father's mouth.

"Papa!" Angie turned back to Ash sheepishly. "Don't listen to my dad; he says the weirdest things sometimes…" But to Angie's astonishment, Ash was already scrambling up the fifty foot tall tree that was holding his hat hostage. "Ash, get down from there! That's dangerous!"

"But I have to get my hat!" Ash yelled back. Angie was getting dizzy just from watching her crush scaling the tree without any climbing equipment. She ran over to Misty, who had just regained consciousness.

"Misty, Ash's trying to climb that tree over there to get his hat!" Angie burst out. Misty blinked and shook her head.

"He always gets upset when he loses his hat," Misty responded. "And he climbs things a lot, too. I think he has an Ambipom in his family tree or something." Misty found herself speaking to thin air, as Angie had moved on to talking to May to get someone to stop Ash from climbing any further. Ash was now half way up the tree, while May was applying ointment to Drew's thorn wounds.

"May, Ash is trying to climb that huge tree to get his hat!" Angie yelled in a panic. May shaded her eyes and gazed at the lithe figure clambering around near the upper levels of foliage. She shrugged and turned back to applying first-aid to her boyfriend.

"He seems to be making good progress to me," May said nonchalantly. "He once climbed a cliff to get a flower for me. He's good at climbing stuff." Drew scooted away in panic. "Drew, come on, those scratches are going to get infected if you don't let me put antibiotic on them," May complained. She stiffened when she heard a voice behind her, brittle as ice over the center of a lake and just as cold.

"So he got a flower for you, hm?" Angie said through a false smile and gritted teeth. May was well versed in the game of love, and she knew jealousy when she saw it. Behind Angie's golden-brown eyes, May could see the spark of a volatile rage building up to critical.

"It-was-in-the-Hoenn-region-when-we-went-to-Cameron-Palace," May babbled out in terror. "We-were-at-this-hot-spring-and-we-were-with-a-Lucario-and-I-saw-this-really-pretty-crystal-flower-and-I-asked-Ash-to-get-it-for-me-and-he-went-and-got-it-and-he-fell-off-the-cliff-with-the-flower-and-then-when-he-picked-it-up-again-we-all-saw-him-fall-off-the-cliff-again-and-we-learned-that-they-were-Time-Flowers-that-can-record-what-happens-and-replay-a-scene-from-the-past-if-someone-with-Aura-abilities-touches-them-or-is-near-by-and-if-we-hadn't-figured-that-out-we-would-never-have-solved-the-mystery-of-Sir-Aaron-and-the-Tree-of-Beginning-would-have-been-destroyed-and-we-would-all-have-died-and-it-didn't-mean-anything-anyway!" Angie blinked, and then a true smile grew across her face. She hadn't really understood most of what May had said, but the last five words had stuck in her head. Angie sighed in relief.

"Okay, that's okay then," she said happily. Angie paused when she noticed May's raised eyebrow. "What?"

"Say, Angie," May asked slyly. "You wouldn't happen to have a _crush_ on Ash, would you?" May grinned as the other girl began to get flustered.

"Wh-What? N-No I don't! What ever gave you such a ridiculous idea?" Angie blushed as embarrassing thoughts ran through her mind.

"Well… the fact that you were getting so upset and jealous when I mentioned Ash getting a flower for me is a clue," May started. "And then you were so relieved that I didn't like Ash in a romantic way. Then there's the fact that you're getting all worked up about me asking if you _like_ Ash... well, things tend to add up." Angie flailed around in a panic.

"No! No! Math is just a theory! Math is just a theory!" she wailed.

"Oh, and you always get this _adoring_ look on your face whenever Ash's name is mentioned…" Misty added, having followed Angie and listened in on the conversation.

"Oh no…" Angie whimpered as she sat down on her knees and hid her face in her hands.

"Hey, we're just kidding around!" May said with a laugh. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."

"That means," Drew explained. "May will gossip to everyone who can be trusted to not tell Ash."

"Please don't tell him!" Angie begged. "I… I want to tell him myself, but… well… can I ask you guys some questions?"

"Fire away," Misty said reassuringly. "We'll help you if you want us to, but, most importantly, we _won't_ help when you don't want us to. And we won't tell Ash a word." Misty turned and glared at Drew. "_Right?_"

"Why are you glaring at _me_?" Drew complained.

"Guys are less trustworthy," Misty responded succinctly. Drew's mouth dropped open at the insult to his honor. "Now, Angie, what do you want to know?"

"I was wondering if it was hard for you guys to admit your feelings to your boyfriends?" Angie asked. May turned to Drew.

"This is girl business. Scram!" Drew hastily left the area. May turned back to Angie. "It wasn't too hard for me, I just had to overcome some embarrassment." Angie smiled hopefully. "But, I _knew_ that Drew liked me, so I didn't really have to worry about rejection." May realized her mistake when she saw Angie wilt like a dying flower. "But I'm sure Ash likes you, don't worry!"

"Oh, I know he _likes_ me," Angie sighed as she traced patterns in the ground with her finger. "But he only likes me as a friend… I just don't know if… well… I don't know if he _loves_ me." The other two girls looked at each other, sympathy for Angie's plight evident on their faces.

"Well," Misty began thoughtfully. "The first thing you need to know is that you shouldn't try to be anyone but yourself." Angie snorted skeptically. "Yeah, I know it's a bit of a cliché, but it really works wonders."

"Wearing perfume helps!" May added cheerfully. She began rummaging through her pack. "Here, I'm sure I have some in here somewhere that you could use…"

"I don't really wear perfume," Angie muttered in embarrassment. Misty nodded approvingly.

"Good. If you don't wear perfume and you don't like it, then you shouldn't wear it. If you did, you wouldn't be _you_. If you just be yourself, I think Ash will start to like you more that a friend. In fact," Misty said thoughtfully. "I think Ash might like you more than a friend already, though he probably doesn't realize it yet."

"Why do you think that?" Angie asked. She was sitting up straight now, alert and focused. She was starting to regain her former spunk and confidence.

"Well, I've been told that he spends a lot of time with you when he's around. And he also likes a lot of the same things that you do. You certainly share similar appetites." Misty snickered a bit, and then her voice returned to being serious. "I've also seen him glancing at you when he thinks no one's looking. It's really kind of cute." Misty watched as a smile spread across Angie's face.

"So who are you going to tell?" Angie asked after calming herself down. May thought for a moment.

"I think that Zoey can be trusted," she said. "Not Dawn, though. She'll tell Gary, and then it'll be all ruined. Barry can't be told either. And Drew knows to keep his mouth shut, so he's okay."

"Don't worry too much," Misty said. "We'll help you get Ash, even though he seems half caught anyway. And if he tries playing hard to get, I'll… _convince_ him that he shouldn't."

"How are you going to do that?" Angie asked curiously. She wasn't sure if she liked the answer she got.

"Oh, usually I either steal his hat, whack him with a log, or both," Misty said cheerfully. May laughed at this. All three girls looked up when they heard a faint voice shouting down from somewhere up high. Ash had finally made it to the top of the tree.

"Hey down there!" he called down. "I got my hat! And Zoey, I've found Barry."

"He's not up there, is he?" Zoey shouted back. Ash shook his head.

"No, he's with Buizel. They're both on the roof."

* * *

Whoof. That was intense. But it was fun! I had some trouble with figuring out how a group of girls would talk about love, with me being a guy and all, but I think I did a fairly good job. Still working on that report! Those reviews are really helping me along! Please keep it up! (I think I might be getting some fans!) Woo hoo! See ya soon, so to speak!


	10. A Mistaken Identity!

Last time we saw our heroes, Barry and Buizel had just been discovered on the roof. Continue to read to find out more. Oh, Kyoku dislikes my OC name, so I've got a Poll set up. Please look at the drawings of the OCs on the Photobucket links that I have placed on my Profile before choosing a name. Please vote for the name Kakashi! It will seriously annoy her. Hee hee hee… *BRZZZZ-ZZZZ-ZZZZ* Wait! Kyoku! Please put that chainsaw down! Pleeese! Ahh! –Connection Disabled–

* * *

_Whoa,_ Ash thought to himself as he returned his hat to his head. _You can see the whole town from up here!_ He looked down at the people below him and waved. Reggie and Maylene waved back, but most of the other people were peering into bushes for something. Someone with red hair, probably Zoey, seemed to be directing them. Looking down the dirt road that ran past the Center, Ash saw what appeared to be a yellow circle traveling toward the Center. _What the… okay, either someone is very fat or is wearing a very big hat._ He looked back at where his friends were, searching for Angie. He found her crouched with Misty and May. He also saw two figures regaining consciousness on the roof. Ash shouted down to Angie. "Hey down there! I got my hat! And Zoey, I've found Barry."

"He's not up there, is he?" Ash heard Zoey shout back, voice tinged with worry.

"No, he's with Buizel," Ash tried to yell reassuringly. "They're both on the roof." At that moment, the blond-haired figure on the roof stood up, as well as the orange figure next to him. It was obvious that Barry had only just woken up.

"Blast the cheese-mongers, get this ship going and that's an order! Eh, wha-?!" Barry rubbed his eyes as he tried to remember what had happened. "Team Rocket!" he declared as he struck a brave pose on the roof of the Center. "You may have gotten my girlfriend and my friends, but you made a big mistake when you left me alive! I will never rest until I have found my friends and made you pay!" Barry rubbed a hand on his chin as he looked at the sky. "And maybe," he said thoughtfully. "Maybe I'll get married after I rescue them." He turned to Buizel. "I mean, it'll probably take years for me to find Team Rocket, and anyway, all heroes get married in the end, right?" Buizel shrugged.

"Bu bui, Buizel bui-bui zel buizel," the Sea Weasel Poke'mon said in an uncommitted way. This human had always struck him as slightly delusional.

"And would you look at this weather?" Barry asked the world in general. "Come on! Sun? There should be some storm clouds and lightning bolts! And strong gusts of wind to make my cape billow out dramatically. And for crying out loud, I need to have a good cape! I mean, who ever heard of a hero wearing a t-shirt, jeans, and a scarf?!" Barry sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Well Buizel, they say that you can't have it all. Are you ready to do some rescuing?"

"Bu-bu-i!" Buizel crouched, ready for a fight. Ash's Sea Weasel Poke'mon scampered over to the edge of the roof. What he saw made him smile his trademark grin for the second time that day. Buizel pasted an almost-innocent expression on his face and turned around and waved Barry over. "Bui-bui zel buizel!"

"What is it? Have you found a clue or something?" Barry asked as he ran over. What he saw made him cringe in horror. Everyone was staring at him, and more than a few eyes were twitching. Maylene put a hand over her mouth and leaned toward Zoey.

"Are you sure that your boyfriend is entirely sane?" she whispered to the red-haired coordinator. Zoey sighed and shook her head, arms crossed.

"Sometimes I have my doubts," she said sadly.

Barry tried to shrink back from the edge of the roof in embarrassment, but he found himself being propelled forward by Buizel. "Hey! What the-" Barry stood up as he was pushed closer to the edge.

"Barry, don't jump!" Drew shouted. "The roses are really painful!" Buizel stopped pushing, but by this time Barry's feet were half over the edge. His arms windmilled as he tried to keep his balance. All it took was a light breeze…

"Whoaa!"

SNAP!

_Crunch._

"YEEEOOOWWWCCHH!" Barry jumped into the air trying to clutch multiple parts of his body at once. Angie's father stepped forward quickly and caught Barry before he landed in the roses a second time.

"Angie!" Angie heard her name being yelled, high in the air. Turning, she saw that Ash was being carried by Gliscor. Ash's Staraptor was doing his best to create air currents for the Fang Scorpion Poke'mon to glide on, but Gliscor was losing altitude fast. Keeping with his habit of landing on people, he glided toward the appealing clump of humans with Ash yelling below him. "Look out! Gliscor, turn left! No, left! _Left!_ Aren't you listening?! Not on the people!"

"Everyone scatter!" Gary yelled. "That way only one or two people will be seriously hurt!" People scattered left and right, but Gliscor had chosen his target. He'd learned in the kitchen that Angie was almost as good a landing pad as Ash. Angie was running as fast as she could, but she was no match for Gliscor.

"Angie, look out! You're gonna fall in the hot spring!" Thanks to Ash's timely warning, Angie was able to avoid running into the steaming pool of hot water, but she lost precious ground against Ash and his Gliscor. Gliscor and Ash landed on Angie, rolling heads over heels over wings over claws over tail until they hit a fence. All three rollees (the people being rolled, vs. the person doing the rolling: the roll_er_) groaned in pain as they sat up. "Angie, are you okay?"

"Nothing serious, just a few broken bones and ruptured organs," Angie joked.

"Are you serious?!"

"No, of course not! I'm fine! You can be so over reactive sometimes!" Angie retorted irritably.

"Oh yeah, says who?!"

"Yeah says me!" Ash and Angie stood head-to-head, growling at each other.

Gliscor whimpered as the grating voices of the two trainers clashed together. He felt that it was his fault that his trainer and Angie were fighting. And Pikachu had told him, _told_ him, that he needed to try not to cause any upsets, because Angie was interested in having Ash as a life-partner. Now he, Gliscor, had ruined it all. Tears began to stream from the Fly Scorpion's yellow eyes. Maybe if he'd just left with the rest of the flock… Gliscor felt a small hand rest on his shoulder. Turning, he saw a short, yellow-haired child wearing a very wide straw hat. She also wore a yellow long-sleeved shirt, a black felt vest, and a pair of purple boots. The child carried a simple fishing rod with a Pokeball attached to the end, and a short distance away, a pack almost as large as the child was lying on the ground.

"Are you okay?" she asked kindly. Gliscor waved a claw toward the pair of fighting youths as he tried to explain the situation, but his voice trailed off as the girl placed a hand on his forehead. Eyes closed, her brow wrinkled from concentration. Suddenly the girl's eyelids opened with a snap, her obsidian black eyes hardened. "I really hate people who abuse their Poke'mon," she muttered as she changed the Pokeball on the fishing rod.

"Scor?" Gliscor was confused.

"Don't worry," the girl said. "I'll get this problem solved." Gliscor grinned happily. This little human was going to help Ash and Angie stop arguing! And then everyone would be friends again! What a relief! Everyone would be so proud of him for solving the problem that he had created! Gliscor watched the young girl walk over toward the argument. The other humans were also coming closer, as well as many Poke'mon. The girl stopped about ten feet away from Ash and Angie. "Hey!" she yelled sharply. "Which of you owns the Gliscor?" For such a small person, her voice managed to convey a great amount of authority. Ash turned toward the yellow-haired girl.

"That would be me, why?" Ash answered in irritation.

"Because I'm taking this Gliscor with me." Several mouths dropped open upon hearing this.

"What?!"

"What?"

"Scor?"

"This Gliscor has been mentally damaged from your abuse," the young girl said accusingly. "You didn't even care that he was crying. This Poke'mon deserves much better care than that which you are providing. And you," she said as she pointed at Angie, "You're no better than he is! You both carried on arguing even though it was scaring Gliscor. This Poke'mon can barely think straight, it's so stressed! I'm going to get Officer Jenny to place you under arrest and to revoke your licenses. But first," she said as she tilted her fishing pole backward, "I'm going to teach you both a lesson!" The rod snapped forward, causing the Pokeball to curve outward. In a flash of light, a Dodrio burst out of the Pokeball. "Dody, use Fury Attack!" Carried by the momentum, the girl's Dodrio used its razor sharp beaks to repeatedly pummel Ash and Angie. Ash threw himself over Angie to prevent her from taking the worst of the attack.

"Pikachu," Ash yelled. "Use Thunderbolt now!"

"Pika CHUUUU!" Pikachu yelled as he unleashed a powerful volley of electric energy toward the marauding Dodrio. The Triple Bird Poke'mon screeched and nimbly leapt out of the way, causing the Electric attack to fry Ash instead. A sharp whistle cut the air.

"Dody!" The girl's Dodrio turned toward the girl and scooped her onto its back. The Normal/Flying-Type then grabbed Ash's protesting Gliscor, cleared the fence, and began racing toward Solaceon Town. "You haven't heard the last of me!" the girl yelled over her shoulder.

"That's right," a voice said behind her. Without warning, the girl and her Dodrio were encased in a pale blue light that lifted them high into the air. Turning, the girl saw a figure about her height standing alone in the middle of the dirt road. Alongside him was a small white Poke'mon with two pink crests on its green head. "Good job, Ralts."

"Ralts ralts," Max's Feeling Poke'mon said.

"Now, release that Gliscor and no one gets hurt," Max commanded. The yellow-haired girl glared at him.

"No!" The rod whipped forward again. "Omny, Ice Beam!" An Omastar appeared, perching on the middle head of the girl's Dodrio. It's sharp, double hinged beak opened up, gathering a blue orb of energy. Max threw a Pokeball into the air.

"Torchic, use Firespin!" A small, orange, bird-like Poke'mon appeared. It launched a spiraling jet of red-and-yellow flames just as the girl's Omastar launched its Ice Beam attack. For several moments, the conflicting energies pushed back and forth as each Poke'mon poured more power into their attacks. The point where the two attacks met exploded, hiding the combatants in a hot veil of steam. Ash began to run forward, but he stopped when Brock placed a hand on his shoulder and shook his head. Ash tried to shrug off Brock's restraining grip.

"Brock, I need to get Gliscor," he said. "I can't just let Gliscor get hurt!"

"Ash, I understand that you're upset about what that girl said about you," Brock said firmly. "But this is Max's fight, and you shouldn't take that away from him. He needs to prove that he can be trusted with this kind of responsibility."

"And anyway," Angie piped up. "We all know that you aren't mean to your Poke'mon, however annoying you may be." Pikachu hopped onto Ash's shoulder.

"Pika, pika ka pikachu!"

"Thanks," Ash said. Everyone turned to watch as the steam began to melt away.

* * *

Well, well, well. Who could this strange girl be? Hint: She's from the original Poke'mon Manga, and her name will be a color in Spanish. Hmm… could Max be getting a girlfriend? Nyeh heh heh! I have evil plans in store for poor Max! And will he be able to win this battle and save Gliscor? Stay tuned!

Reviewers, I _do_ have an idea for introducing one of Ash's old Poke'mon, so calm down.

Oh. I almost forgot. I'm going to be staying with some relatives over the summer. It's worse than Amish country (NO OFFENCE TO THE AMISH!). They barely believe in the use of the invention of the _wheel,_ for crying out loud! So, as a result, I won't be able to update over the summer. But I'll try to update as much as possible before that happens! See ya!


	11. Max vs Amarilla! Part 1

The last chapter until September. Hope you like it. Yeah, I know it's short. I am choosing to name the girl Amarilla, because it sounds more interesting and exotic. It also makes more sense for someone to be named "Amarilla" rather than "Yellow." Now, back to the battle of Max vs. Amarilla! Who will win?

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A strong gust of wind blew the steam away, revealing both young trainers and their Poke'mon, unscathed. Both Max and the young girl had formulated a strategy from within the steam veil.

"Dody," the girl shouted. "Throw Omny into the air! Omny, then you use Spike Cannon!" The girl's Triple Bird Poke'mon used its three heads as a spring, sending the Water/Rock-Type Poke'mon hurtling into the sky. The Omastar whirled through the air, sending large, sharp spikes raining down at Max and his Poke'mon.

"Ralts, catch that Spike Cannon with Confusion," Max ordered calmly with his eyes closed. One by one, spike after spike was caused to float in midair not but a foot away from Max and his diminutive Poke'mon. Max's Feeling Poke'mon moved caught spikes to the side to make room for incoming spikes. By the time the yellow-haired girl's Omastar had landed, Max was surrounded by about forty large spikes. "Now," Max stated with a glacially calm voice. "Turn the spikes outward, please." The yellow haired girl watched with astonishment as Max turned her attack to his advantage without taking a single hit. Max opened his eyes and winked. "Your move," he said smugly. The girl's face flushed red with embarrassment and anger.

"Omny, blast them away with Hydro Pump! Dody, use Whirlwind!" The immense amount of water from Omastar was caught in the Dodrio's Whirlwind attack, creating a gyrating cyclone of water that pushed toward Max and his Poke'mon. The girl smirked. "You can't hold up that shield of spikes up if you're going to push away my Water Whirlwind," she growled. "Dody, if they drop that Spike Shield, get them with Drill Peck!" As the girl's Dodrio screeched an acknowledgement, Max drew two Pokeballs.

"Torchic, good job. Return!" Max tossed the second ball into the air as he pocketed the first. "Chinchou, battle time!" A blue Poke'mon appeared, two thin tails drooped in front of its face with glowing yellow bulbs on the ends. Chinchou squeaked as it received its orders. "Chinchou, use Thunderwave on the spikes!" A pulse of electricity burst from the tips of Chinchou's tails, causing arcs of energy to flicker across the spikes. "Ralts, scatter the spikes beside and behind us!" Ralts carefully released her psychic grip on the electrified spikes, creating an electrified trap. The girl's Dodrio tried to run through the spikes, but got zapped by the sparks that flashed through the air. The girl watched as Max and his Ralts dissipated her combo attack with ease, and she felt her face heat up as Max feigned a yawn. She withdrew her Omastar and whipped her fishing rod upward.

"Dody, jump! Gravvy, use Earthquake!" A large Golem was flung from the Pokeball on the end of the rod. It streaked down from the sky, slamming a leathery fist into the ground just as the girl's Dodrio leaped off the ground. A massive shock wave pulsed outward from the Golem's fist, causing the ground to ripple. The ripple threw Max and his Poke'mon off balance and destroyed the spike trap. The girl's Golem then grabbed the Dodrio and, with the girl still riding the Triple Bird Poke'mon, spun around in a circle and launched the Flying-Type at his enemies. "Dody, Drill Peck!" The Triple Bird Poke'mon launched it's powerful attack, each head going after Max or one of his Poke'mon. Unable to escape, both of Max's Poke'mon fainted. The girl and her Dodrio circled back. "Hope you've learned your lesson!" she yelled over her shoulder as she grabbed a hold of Ash's Gliscor and recalled her Golem. Max slowly rose to his feet, glaring at the girl's retreating back.

"No," he growled as he recalled his Poke'mon. "Not yet." Max called out two Poke'mon. He clambered onto the back of a large, purple/grey Poke'mon and gave chase as a small green Poke'mon climbed to his shoulder. "You're not gonna get away with this!" Ash hopped over the fence that separated the Daycare center from the main road.

"Hey! Get back here! That's Gliscor you're stealing!" Ash started running down the road after the girl and her Dodrio. Hearing an odd noise beside him, Ash turned and found Angie running alongside him.

"Still trying to see if slow and steady wins the race?" she smirked. They streaked down the road, managing to keep the two youngsters in sight, but not closing the distance. They both looked up when a shadow passed overhead. Drew and May rode on the back of the former's Flygon, while Gary rode with Dawn on his Fearow. "Hey, that's not fair!"

"Yeah, give us a ride!" Ash shouted up. Gary shook his head.

"Sorry, only two people per Poke'mon," he yelled back. "Anyway, exercise is good for you. Stop complaining."

"Arrgh," Ash groaned as he continued to run. "Could this get any worse?"

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Send in your reviews and PMs. Unless you're going to tell me about how I need to bring Ash's old Poke'mon or anything like that. I _will_ introduce one Pokemon: Charizard. Ring up one Ash Ketchum, charbroiled. Just kidding! See you in September!


	12. Max vs Amarilla! Part 2

Hi fans! Good news. I'M BACK!!! The vacation was good. I didn't actually visit any relatives in the Amish country. But I did visit the state of Washington, Mt. Whistler in Canada (the place caught fire the day after we left), and the San Juan Islands! There was only one problem with the trip. No Poke'mon! But I developed some great story ideas, which I will tell you about at the end of the story. I thank you, my readers, for having the patience to wait so long! And here is your reward! Enjoy!

* * *

_How dare he!_ Amarilla fumed to herself as she rode down the road toward Solaceon. She was supremely irritated at being fooled into falling for Max's tactics. She shifted her grip on the Gliscor she'd rescued. For some reason he kept struggling to escape, and several times had almost gotten away. She tried to touch minds with the Gliscor, but Gliscor's mind was very cloudy with fear, hurt, and betrayal. She'd finally convinced him to at least stop struggling. With that settled, Amarilla went back to cursing Max. _Making a fool of me, smiling! _Winking!_ Who does he think he is?! _She had to admit, though, that he _was_ highly skilled. He had an ingenuity that rivaled her own, and he even seemed to be about her age! She'd never experienced such a difficult battle against anyone who hadn't had a lifetime of experience. He even seemed, well, _cute._ In a slightly… nerdy… way. But he was friends with someone who abused Poke'mon, and _that_ was absolutely unacceptable.

Yet… she couldn't help feeling that she was missing a few pieces of the whole puzzle. There were unanswered questions, and Amarilla really didn't like unanswered questions, because they tended to cause problems and misunderstandings. Further analysis of recent events pointed out to her that the "evidence" she had acquired from Gliscor's mind was about as solid as Oran berry mush. Added to the fact that Gliscor was attempting to turn her into a pincushion by glaring daggers at her, she was considering turning around. After getting Officer Jenny. Pondering her position, she reached forward and patted her Dodrio on the neck. "Getting tired?" she asked.

_Not at all,_ Dody responded. _But you seem a bit bothered._

"Yeah, I'm wondering if I could have handled that better."

_I thought you handled it fairly well._

"I wasn't talking about the fighting-" Amarilla said angrily.

_Neither was I,_ Dody thought back. A brief cloud of confusion passed across Amarilla's face.

"Then what _were_ you talking abou-"

_I was referring to the fact that you just interacted with a male of your species who is around the same age as you._ Amarilla's face flushed as she realized what was going on, and she shook her finger at her Dodrio.

"Oh, you are _not_ suggesting that I-"

_You like him._

"Do not!"

_Do too._

"No!"

_Yup._

"No!"

_Yup._

"No!"

_Yup._

"No!"

_Yup._

"No!"

_Yup._

Amarilla took a deep breath. "No."

_Yup._

"No!"

_Yup._

"No!"

_Yup._

"No!" Dodrio turned its middle head to the girl riding on its back.

_There is no point in arguing; I can sense your feelings, and- Aw, crap…_ Immediately on the alert, Amarilla grabbed a Pokeball off her belt.

"Dody, what's wrong?"

_You should have finished him off._

"What?" But as the word left her mouth, she realized what the problem was. Turning, she saw Max sitting astride an Aerodactyl and in pursuit. Realizing that he had been spotted, Max threw a small bag at his quarry. Amarilla watched the bag pass far over her head. She turned around and stuck her tongue out at Max. "Nah, nah! You missed me! You missed me! Now you've gotta-" Amarilla clamped her mouth shut as she began to realize what she was saying. Max and his Aerodactyl veered off over the nearby forest. "Yeah! That's right! Run!" Amarilla yelled at the retreating Fossil Poke'mon.

Dody was more focused on the bag. When it hit the ground, it exploded in a flash of white light. Dody screeched in astonishment and annoyance as all six of his eyes were blinded. Unable to watch where he was going, Amarilla's Dodrio tripped and fell onto the unforgiving dirt road. As Amarilla was tossed from her perch, Gliscor made his bid for freedom, leaping into the air and attempting to catch an air current. Max's Aerodactyl circled around and flew underneath the Fangscorpion Poke'mon, allowing Max to grab Gliscor.

* * *

"Staraptor!" Ash called out for his Normal/Flying-Type Poke'mon.

"Star-r-r-r-r-r-raptor," Ash's Predator Poke'mon trilled as it landed in front of Ash and Angie. Pikachu jumped onto Staraptor's neck.

"Come on, Angie," Ash said as he climbed onto Staraptor's back. "We can catch up faster if we let Staraptor carry us." He reached down and grabbed Angie's hand, helping her up. "Now hold on tight, 'cause we're gonna be moving really fast! Staraptor, let's go!"

Staraptor flapped its mighty wings once, twice, three times to gain altitude, and then surged forward with amazing speed. Angie's arms wind-milled as she tried to keep her balance. She instinctively leaned forward and wrapped her arms around Ash's chest to prevent herself from falling. She almost let go of Ash, but she remembered that no one would really notice. And anyway, she had an excuse. Angie snuggled closer to Ash and laid her head on his shoulder.

"Er, Angie?" Ash's inquiring voice asked. "What are you doing?"

"Just making sure I don't fall off," Angie lied. She grinned to herself as she enjoyed the moment. _I wish I could make this moment last forever,_ Angie thought to herself. _I really feel as though I'm on top of the world. I, I really do love him…_

"There's Drew's Flygon and Gary's Fearow! We're catching up to them!" Ash watched as Gary and Dawn circled back, escorting Gliscor. Staraptor began gliding as Gliscor and Gary's Fearow drew near, and the three Flying-Type Poke'mon made their way over to the area where Max was battling. Gary filled Ash and Angie in on what had happened so far.

* * *

"Dody, hold still please," Amarilla said as she reached toward her Dodrio's eyes. Concentrating, she used her special abilities to heal the damage. Fully recovered, her Dodrio stood up to face its opponent. "Dody," Amarilla asked. "Do you still want to fight?" Dody screeched in response.

_Just get on!_ Dody thought at its trainer. Amarilla scrambled onto Dody's back and grabbed a Pokeball in preparation for the coming conflict. Already she was formulating a plan to disable Max's Aerodactyl and the Flygon without excessive violence. She watched as the Aerodactyl landed about thirty feet in front of her Dodrio, blocking the path with its enormous wings.

"Look," Amarilla said to Max. "I don't know who you are, but I don't want anyone to get hurt. So I'm going to ask you to please ignore the influence of your abusive friend and let me by so that I can do the right thing." Max frowned.

"I don't know who _you _are, but I know Ash, and he _is_ my friend," Max responded. "But he is far from abusive. He's one of the best trainers I've met!" He glared at Amarilla. "And I don't think that I should be listening to the advice of a kidnapper." Amarilla felt a chill in the pit of her stomach as she realized that she had misread the situation. But it was too late to back down now. She shook her head sadly.

"Then you leave me no choice." Amarilla felt her Dodrio tense as it readied itself for action. "Dody, rush them! Use Drill Peck!" Dody shot forward, causing Max's Aerodactyl to take flight. Amarilla urged her Triple Bird Poke'mon to greater speed.

"Aerodactyl, fly after them!" Max ordered. His Aerodactyl roared as it wheeled about and gave chase. "Slow them down with Screech!" Extremely high pitched sound waves rippled out from Aerodactyl's gaping maw. Amarilla clapped her hands over her ears as the piercing noise rattled her eardrums. "Now use String Shot!" Aerodactyl opened its mouth and released a stream of silken threads that wrapped around one of Dodrio's legs. The Fossil Poke'mon closed its powerful jaws on the strong thread and pulled, causing the Triple Bird Poke'mon to stumble. "Finish this with Stone Edge!" Max shouted. Glowing blue rings of energy encircled Max's Aerodactyl. The rings then faded into sharp chunks of rock, which burst outward at Amarilla and her Dodrio.

"Dody, block that Stone Edge attack with Fury!" Dody's heads moved in a blur as they deflected most of the oncoming shards. "Now disable Aerodactyl with Whirlwind!" Dody swung his heads rapidly to create a powerful windstorm, which knocked Max's Aerodactyl from the sky. The Rock/Flying-Type crashed into the road, sending up a huge cloud of dust. "Now use Tri-Attack!" Dodrio launched three orbs; one red, one yellow, and one blue. The orbs disappeared into the dust cloud, causing the cloud to flash with fire, ice, and electrical energies. But part of the dust bulged, then exploded in a stream of silk that wrapped Dodrio from heads to toes. Unable to balance, Dody fell over, no longer able to battle. "No, Dody! Return!" Dody glowed red, then faded as he was absorbed back into his Pokeball. Amarilla stood up from where she had fallen to find herself face-to-face with Max's Aerodactyl. She took an involuntary step backwards when the Fossil Poke'mon roared loud enough to knock her sombrero off and cause her bright yellow hair to stream out behind her.

"Aerodactyl! Stop that," Max ordered sternly. "She isn't going to fight anymore." He slipped off of his Aerodactyl so cleanly that Amarilla didn't notice until he was practically a foot away from her. _And I thought I was watching him that whole time,_ she thought.

"I concede to your superior battling skills," Amarilla said as she bowed to Max, trying not to look him in the eyes. "As well as your reasoning. It is now obvious to me that I was mistaken about the situation-"

"Hey, it's no problem," Max interrupted as he recalled his Rock/Flying type. "Misunderstandings happen all the time. The important thing is to learn from your mistakes and not to hold a grudge." He was about to say more when a police cruiser screeched to a halt further up the road, turned so that it was facing the side of the road. A police officer hunkered down on the opposite side of the cruiser from the children and aimed the barrel of a rocket launcher at Max and Amarilla.

"Stop, thieves! Hands up!"

* * *

He was a new officer, and this was his first major assignment. Normally a mission this important would be delegated to a more experienced officer, but they were busy rounding up a suspected crime ring deeper in the city. He'd been the highest ranking officer available, though that wasn't saying much. The head Jenny had given him the assignment after receiving an emergency call from the Daycare Center.

Given that he would be up against a powerful Poke'mon thief with no backup, Commanding Officer Jenny had equipped him with one of their most powerful non-lethal weapons. A portable missile launcher that took after the popular and powerful Ice Beam attack, it launched rockets that instantly froze targets on contact. It had a heat seeking targeting system, and was fairly reliable.

But it would be useless if the thief, or thieves, were able to get their Poke'mon out. Good as the technology was, it was generally known that Poke'mon beat out machines hands down. Thus Jenny had warned him that if they reached for their Pokeballs, that he should shoot first and ask questions later. Because while they _could_ ask questions after the suspects were defrosted in custody, they couldn't ask questions if the suspects escaped.

All of this, plus his nervousness about this being his first assignment and the realization that he was working solo on a mission intended for a full squad of experienced officers, meant that his trigger finger was very twitchy.

* * *

Startled by the sight of a weapon being pointed at them, Max and Amarilla automatically reached for their Pokeballs. The officer responded by firing two rockets in quick succession at the youths. Amarilla watched in horror as the first rocket zeroed in on her heat signature. She crouched down protectively, shut her eyes, and waited for the explosion. She heard the rocket get closer and then explode, but she felt nothing more than a chilly breeze. Still cringing, she opened her eyes. She could not believe what she saw.

Max had taken the hit for her! The boy looked as though he had been splashed on the back by water that had instantly frozen. He grinned at her startled expression.

"Everything's gonna be okay," he said in an attempt to lighten up the situation. "So, what's your name? My name is Max. And get closer, the ice will act as a heat shield so that the missiles won't track you." Amarilla blushed slightly as she shifted closer to Max for the security he provided.

"Thank you," she said. "My name is Amarilla." Max laughed.

"I don't think I could pronounce that," he chuckled. "Mind if I just call you Ammie?"

"Sure," she responded. "By the way, what happened to the second missile?" Max suddenly appeared worried for the first time.

"There were two rockets?"

"Yeah. You didn't see them?"

"No, I moved in front of you as soon as I heard him pull the trigger. Shoot! I only felt one hit me, which means-"

"-that the other one must have targeted someone else!" Amarilla finished. She began reaching for a Pokeball.

"No! Don't! If you or your Poke'mon leave this shelter, that officer will launch another rocket at you!" Amarilla reluctantly dropped her hand back to her side. "Just look outside and try to see where it went, okay?"

"Got it." Amarilla inched out into the open, glancing left and right. No sign of the rocket. Then she looked up. She hurried back to Max. "Max! It's heading for your friends! And he launched more rockets at them!"

* * *

May gasped in shock as she watched the police officer open fire on her brother. All three pairs of trainers had to resist the urge to dive down and rescue Max as he was hit and disappeared in a thick cloud. As May began crying, Drew placed a supportive hand on her shoulder.

"May, I'm sorry, but there was nothing we could do," he murmured. "It all happened to fast for any of us to realize what was happening. Even if we did go down there, we'd only be shot by those rockets. The best we can do now is try to stay calm."

"It's… it's just… I could have st-t-topped him," May sobbed. "But… but I didn't, and, and, and now he's gone!" At this point May broke down completely. Pikachu drooped his head sadly as the other trainers offered their condolences.

"Pika pi," he cooed mournfully. Then his sensitive ears perked up. What was that noise? It sounded like hissing, and it was getting closer and closer… Pikachu peeked over the side and saw a glowing missile headed directly for them. Panicking, Pikachu leaped over to Ash and tugged on his arm. "Pika! Pika pikachu pika!" Once he had everyone's attention, Pikachu pointed meaningfully at the ground. Ash peered downward for an instant, then quickly shot back up.

"Guys! Split up! Now!" Ash yelled to his friends. "That jerk down there fired a rocket at us!"

"Better make that three," Gary shouted. "Fearow, dive into the trees! Dawn, don't fall off!" Gary's Fearow tucked in it's wings and plummeted toward the earth, one of the missiles peeling off from the rest to follow.

"Flygon, try to destroy the rockets with Flamethrower!" Drew ordered. Drew's Dragon/Ground-Type Poke'mon launched a jet of red and yellow flames at the oncoming warheads, but the rockets' weaving trajectories caused the Fire-Type attack to miss. Flygon barely dodged as the rockets streaked past. One of the rockets curved back around for a second pass, while the last rocket aimed at Ash's Staraptor.

"Pikachu, we've got only one chance at this! Destroy that rocket with Thunderbolt!" Ash's loyal Electric-Type leaped at the rocket.

"Pika-chuuuuuuu!" the Mouse Poke'mon shouted as he unleashed a wide volley of electrical energy. But the rocket got past, and it rammed home into Staraptor. The Predator Poke'mon cried out in shock and pain as its legs and left wing were immobilized. Ash pulled out a Pokeball.

"Staraptor, return," Ash said woodenly. The Normal/Flying-Type Poke'mon disappeared in a flash of red light. He then grabbed Angie and Pikachu into a hug as all three of them began plummeting toward the ground.

"Ash, don't," Angie shouted over the whistling of the wind rushing past her ears. "You could get hurt trying to protect me and Pikachu like this! You could get killed! Pikachu, tell him that this is a bad idea!"

"Pika-chu! Pi-ka chu pika! Pi-"

"No! I know what I'm doing! I'm better at taking hard knocks than you, Angie. And Pikachu would be crushed if he tried to cushion us! When I hit the ground first, I'll cushion you and Pikachu. We can't give up, 'cause I'm never gonna give up! Never! We'll be fine, just like last time!" Angie smiled weakly.

"I don't think a Dusknoir will step in and save us this time, Ash," she said sadly. Ash nodded.

"I know."

In the moments before they hit the ground, a kind of understanding passed between Ash and Angie. Pikachu sensed this, and only wished that this had happened earlier.

* * *

Some chapter, huh? Think you know what's gonna happen? Send in reviews to suggest what _you_ think is going to occur! Now for the story ideas:

Romeo and Juliet: What happens when I force Ash and the whole gang to take part in the classic Shakespearian tragedy? Comedy and chaos, of course! Prepare for falling props, booby-trapped ladders, altered dialogue, and awkward moments! And Lord Capulet, if I see that camcorder one more time, I swear I will burn it.

Song-Fics: I heard some great songs over the summer, such as the Titanic theme, and I think that I could create some song-fics.

Raid!: Ash and Paul are dragged into something that they both agree they want no part in. But when they take the fall for the perpetrators, they will be forced to work together to get their names cleared by the group's girls.

So tell me what you think of my ideas! I look forward to hearing from my readers again after so long! And I almost forgot! I really need everyone to place their vote in to decide my OC name. Please go to my Author's Page to place your vote in the poll! This is really important to me and for the progress of the story, so please, cast your vote now!

P.S: Another reason why I am choosing to call Yellow "Amarilla" is that my spellchecker keeps lower-casing the Y and I don't want to go through the bother of turning of the grammar check. See ya soon!


	13. A Fire Blast from the Past

Pokefan30648 reporting in! Sorry about the wait, but I've had a lot of homework. But I'm still a fan of Poke'mon! Loved your reviews, and one of you lucky reviewers correctly guessed part of this chapter. Who was it? Was it you? Read on to find out, and remember: No peeking!

* * *

…

…

…

[50% Increase In Outer Hull Temperature Detected]

…

[Initiating Hull Defrost]

…

[Hull Defrost Successful]

[Hull Temperature At 7 Degrees Celsius]

…

[Shutting Down Automatic Self-Repair System]

…

[Initiating Diagnostic Of Critical Systems]

…

…

[Critical System Diagnostic Completed]

[Engine Systems At 83% Capacity]

[Life Support Systems At 93% Capacity]

[Computer Systems At 87% Capacity]

…

[Initiating Diagnostic Of Secondary Systems]

…

…

[Secondary System Diagnostic Completed]

[Interdimensional Jump Drive At 32% Capacity]

[Weapons Systems At 64% Capacity]

…

[Increasing Internal Temperature To 25 Degrees Celsius]

…

[Target Internal Temperature Achieved]

…

[Initiating Full System Restart Sequence]

* * *

As Ash, Angie, and Pikachu fell toward the earth, disaster struck the other Trainers. Drew's Flygon was unable to dodge the rocket's third pass, and had to be recalled to its Pokeball. May's Beautifly and Drew's Masquerain were called out, and the Bug/Flying Poke'mon flapped their wings with all their might in an attempt to slow down the pair of coordinators. But their small size meant that a tremendous amount of energy was required to fight the pull of gravity.

Gary's Fearow was struck before either of the other Poke'mon. Gary's Fearow returned to its Pokeball as Gary pulled out another one of his Pokeballs. Grabbing Dawn, he threw his Pokeball at the ground.

"Blastoise," he yelled. "Try to catch us using Hydro Pump!" A blue, turtle-like Poke'mon appeared below Dawn and Gary in a flash of light. Two pieces of its shell flipped open to reveal a pair of powerful cannon barrels.

"Blaaast," it roared gutturally as twin streams of water exited its cannons under high pressure. Dawn and Gary splashed down into the water, fifty feet above the ground.

"Excellent job," Gary called down to his Water-Type starter. "Now, carefully reduce the pressure to bring us down carefully." Gary felt a tug on his arm, and he turned to find Dawn's worried face next to his.

"Gary, I'm going to help May and Drew," she said. "You just work on getting us down safely." She threw a Pokeball toward where she believed Drew and May would land. "Mamoswine, catch May and Drew!" Dawn's Twin Tusk Poke'mon flashed into existence underneath the coordinators, barely an instant before May's Beautifly and Drew's Masquerain lost what little energy they had left. The four bodies fell onto Mamoswine's thick, fur-covered hide. Despite some bruises, the coordinators were okay. Dawn and Gary ran over. Waterlogged but unhurt, the pair began helping the Hoenn natives to their feet. May brushed herself off as she leaned on Drew for support.

"That was too close," Drew coughed. "Where's Ash and his friend?" Everyone looked up in time to see Ash, Angie, and Pikachu disappear over the tree line. Immediately, all Poke'mon were recalled as the researcher and three coordinators began to run from the forest to the road.

* * *

_I guess this is it, then,_ Ash thought. _I never did tell Angie that I love her._ He looked down at the rapidly approaching ground. _At least this will be quick._ He gave Angie one last, loving glance, (her eyes were shut tight out of fear), then he closed his eyes for the final time.

Instead of feeling the vertebrae of his neck shatter, Ash felt something grab him, and his stomach churned as his body gained altitude. His eyes opened to the vision of the receding surface of the Earth and Angie's golden-brown eyes, wide with astonishment. He turned his head and recognized the long neck, orange body, blue wings, and flame-tipped tail of an old ally.

"Ash," Angie whispered. "Who's that Poke'mon?" Ash smiled proudly.

"Angie," Ash declared. "I want you to meet my good friend, Charizard!" The Fire/Flying Poke'mon roared happily as it launched a long stream of fire into the air. "Charizard, thank goodness you're here! Any longer and we'd have been toast!" Angie nudged Ash and pointed toward the horizon.

"Ash, look over there!" Her voice was filled with awe. Ash looked, and what he saw made him grin.

* * *

"Ammie, reach into my left pocket and grab my Pokeball that has Torchic in it," Max whispered urgently. Amarilla nodded and reached for one of his pockets. "Ack! No, not _that_ pocket, my other pocket! Left, _left!_ No, your other left! Yeah, yeah, that's it… No! Don't touch the shuriken pocket-"

"Ow!" Amarilla sucked on her finger as she glared at Max. "How many pockets do you _have?_" She asked irritably. Max reddened in embarrassment.

"That's classified," he said, grinning sheepishly. "Sorry." Amarilla placed her hands on her hips and glared sternly at Max. "Okay, okay. Sixteen." Amarilla shook her head as she reached into another one of Max's pockets.

"There we go," she said with relief as she pulled out a Pokeball the size of a large marble. "What on earth do you need so many pockets for, anyway?" she asked as she tapped the button on the Pokeball, causing it to expand. Max began to sweat nervously, even though he was half-covered by ice.

"Sorry, but that's classified too," Max said. "I absolutely cannot tell you." Amarilla sighed as she released the Torchic. Torchic flashed into existence and peeped inquisitively at the yellow-haired child holding its Pokeball. "Torchic, use your Firespin attack to get me out of this ice," Max ordered urgently. The diminutive Chick Poke'mon nodded at its trainer.

"Torrr-chic!" A small vortex of flames momentarily surrounded Max, vaporizing the ice. Through the steam, Max could see the policeman firing rockets into the forest, where May, Drew, Dawn, and Gary were hiding. The policeman turned his attention to the steam cloud and launched two rockets.

Max's arms blurred, and twin whirring objects intercepted the rockets to create a freezing cloud of nitrogen. Max recklessly charged through the mist, directly into a third rocket. The policeman gave a short, humorless laugh as the young Poke'mon trainer was enveloped in the explosion. "Got you that time, thief," he gasped out in exhaustion.

Amarilla watched with unshed tears as the mist began to fade around Max. _That idiot,_ she thought sadly. _There's no way he could've dodged that one… What the?!_ Standing in the middle of the road, encased in a solid block of ice, was not Max, but a… log? The mouth of the policeman was hanging open stupidly.

"Buh, but I could have _sworn_ I-unh!" He was cutoff mid-sentence as a small hand made a swift chopping motion to the base of his neck. The senseless officer collapsed, revealing the figure of Max standing on the hood of the police cruiser. He leapt down lightly and cuffed the officer using the policeman's own handcuffs. Amarilla ran up to Max and gave him a brief hug.

"That was so COOL!" She squealed excitedly. "I had no idea you were a _ninja_!" Max blushed modestly and rubbed the back of his head in slight embarrassment. He'd never had a girl pay this much attention to him, and frankly, despite his impressive intellect, he really did not know what to do. He was rescued from having to respond by his sister, who scooped him up and hugged him so tightly that the air was crushed from his lungs.

"Max, you're _alive,_ I thought you were dead, don't you ever do that again, I'm so happy you're alive, I should have watched you better…" May sobbed as she rocked her little brother back and forth. Max squirmed out of May's grip and tried to get oxygen back into his body.

"May, I'm fine," Max sputtered between gasps of air. "I didn't spend an extra two months at that ninja academy for nothing, you know. I know what I'm doing. Jeez." Max looked up as a shadow blotted out the sun. Several massive Charizard landed near the police cruiser. A smaller Flame Poke'mon touched down softly, carrying two trainers. "Wait a minute, isn't that Ash's Charizard?" Ash and Angie ran up to the rest of the trainers.

"Everyone alright?" Ash asked. Everyone began talking at once, resulting in a babbling that everyone could somehow understand. Pikachu perched on Charizard's head and began conversing with the larger Poke'mon. The trainers dragged the comatose officer out of the street. Hugs, handshakes, and sighs of relief were passed around, until a shrill whistle cut through the festivities. An Officer Jenny was bearing towards the group of youths, blowing on her whistle. Then the motorcycle she was riding hit the ice.

The motorcycle began to lose control, swerving this way and that. Jenny expertly prevented the vehicle from spinning out and falling over, but she wasn't prepared for the bump in the slippery road that threw her and her motorcycle into the air. Flung from her vehicle, Officer Jenny was snatched out of the air by a Charizard. This Charizard had a pink bow on one of its horns, and it carried a woman with dark-green hair.

Angie cringed as she watched the motorcycle pass right over her head. The two-wheeled vehicle crashed down directly onto the hood of the police car. Hard. The motorcycle tumbled off of the cruiser to reveal a severely damaged engine. Oil spilled onto the ground, and everyone stared at the wreck in shock. The Charizard with the bow landed gently and set Officer Jenny down. Angie tried to break the uncomfortable silence. "At least they didn't explode, right?" Her sentence was barely finished when the two totaled motor vehicles made a rapid transformation into bits of scrap metal.

* * *

"…So that's why everyone thought Ammie was a Poke'mon thief, and why I knocked out your officer," Max finished. Officer Jenny flipped back through her notes.

"So let me get this straight," she said. "You, Amarilla, came to Solaceon to visit your pen-pal, Angie, correct?" Nod. "And you didn't know what she looked like or where exactly she lived." Nod. "And you, Ash, got into an argument with Angie." Nod. "And Amarilla thought that you were abusing your Gliscor." Nod. "Because you, Amarilla, can read the minds of Poke'mon and heal their injuries." Nod. "And you didn't know that the Gliscor was very young and was only upset." Nod. "And so you and Max had a battle." Nod. Nod. "And during the battle there was a chase toward the police station." Nod. "And then Max won." Nod. "Then the officer I sent in response to the call I got from the Daycare Center fired rockets at all of you." Nods. "And so you had to knock him out in self-defense." Nod. "And you were able to do this because you're a ninja." Nod.

Officer Jenny pinched her brow in exhaustion. This was the most bizarre case she had ever had to deal with, and that included the 'Scarf-Monster' incident. It was clear now that she had expected too much of the new recruit. He was standing around stiffly, trying to keep what dignity he had left. At least the crime ring round-up had been successful. She'd called in to Head Quarters, and a retrieval team was on its way to clean up the wreckage.

"Okay," she said. "I have my report. If you'd all stay here, I'll get someone to drive you all back to the Daycare Center." The green-haired woman who had saved her cleared her throat. What was her name again? Liza? She'd never been good with names.

"If you'd like, I could get these kids back to the Daycare myself," Liza offered. Officer Jenny hesitated.

"I'm afraid I can't do that," she said. "Not unless one of these kids will vouch for you. It's the law, and I have to uphold it." Ash raised his hand.

"I'll vouch for her. She's been taking care of my Charizard for me." Ash's Charizard released a brief gout of red and orange flames that singed Angie's skin and clothing. Ash ran over to Angie with concern. "Angie, you okay?" She was standing stock-still, her clothing making little sizzling sounds.

"What was _that_ for?" she moaned weakly. Ash chuckled ruefully as he remembered his previous adventures with Charizard.

"It's okay, that just means that Charizard likes you," Ash said. "That's just the way he is." Angie began to dust the ash off of herself.

"So what does he do when he _doesn't_ like someone?"

"Pretty much the same thing, except with more ferocity," Ash answered. Ash's Charizard roared, causing everyone to clap their hands over their ears.

"I suppose you can all go now," Officer Jenny shrugged after the noise died down. As the trainers flew off down the road, she began to prepare a report for the Sinnoh HQ. It was going to be a long day.

* * *

_On a faraway mountainside…_

Team Rocket groaned as they gathered themselves together. They tiredly shared a few crackers between themselves. Jessie sighed in frustration.

"Meowth, those stupid mechas of yours just don't work," she grumbled. The Scratchcat Poke'mon stood up indignantly.

"Hey, at least 'alf o' dem robots was _your_ idea!" Meowth shot back. "Including da last one! I'm just da guy who builds 'em!" Jessie and Meowth began growling at each other, each head pushing against the other. James sat away from the others, deep in thought. His Mime Jr. imitated his pose. Suddenly James smacked his fist down on his hand.

"Yes! I've got it!" he crowed.

"Mime! Mi mi-mime!" his Psychic-Type copied its trainer's motions. Jessie and Meowth turned their attentions to the blue-haired Rocket.

"What? What have you got?"

"Is it food?" James shook his head.

"No! But I do have a plan to capture Pikachu!" Jessie narrowed her eyes at her teammate.

"Pardon my ignorance, but have you failed to note, that we are MILES AWAY FROM THAT PIKACHU?!" she shouted angrily. James smiled excitedly.

"Exactly! That's why this plan will work!"

"Oh, really," Jessie grumbled sarcastically.

"I'm gonna 'ave ta agree wit' Jess on dis one," Meowth said, scratching his head in confusion. "'Ow 'r we supposed ta catch Pikachu wi'out Pikachu?" James began to explain.

"You see, I was thinking about how we keep failing with the robots, and how our robots will be even more useless now that the twerps are traveling _en mass_. Then I remembered how well our Poke'mon did against the blond twerp who always is interrupting our motto. I bet that if we caught some more Poke'mon and trained hard enough, we could take on all of those twerps!" Jessie and Meowth were now staring at James with rapt attention.

"Ya know, dat just might work!" Meowth cried out in amazement.

"Once we get stronger than those twerps, nothing will be able to stop us!" Jessie laughed. "We'll all get promotions for sure!"

"Now it won't be easy," James cautioned. "And it will take some time, but we'll get that Pikachu if we succeed!" He pointed to a nearby sign. "And I think I know just how we can get started."

* * *

"Okay, Charizard," Liza shouted down to Ash's Flame Poke'mon. "Meet us over at the river a few miles south of here before dark, okay?" Ash's Charizard roared affirmatively. "Ash, it was nice seeing you again, tell Brock and Misty that I said hi, okay?" Ash waved goodbye to the caretaker of his Fire/Flying-Type.

"Sure, and thanks for dropping by!" Ash shouted back. After saying their farewells, Ash and the gang turned toward the Daycare Center to find Maylene sitting with her back resting on the wall of the house, arms wrapped around her knees. She seemed upset. Dawn ran over to the Veilstone City Gym Leader. Everyone followed Dawn to try to comfort the distraught girl.

"Hey, Maylene, what's wrong?" she asked her friend. Maylene was about to respond when Reggie jogged around the corner. He slowed down when he saw Ash.

"Ash, there's a bit of a problem," he told the Pallet Town native. "And I don't think you're going to like it."

* * *

In her room, a young girl woke up. Her Teddiursa yawned sleepily.

"Teddiursa, did you hear that?" the girl asked her Normal-Type Poke'mon. The girl's Teddiursa shook its head. Suddenly a rattling sound briefly filled the room. "There it is again!" Both the girl and her Teddiursa were wide awake now. "It's coming from the closet!"

The little girl got out from her bed and carefully tip-toed over to her closet, Teddiursa following close behind. She slowly grabbed the closet door, and then quickly swung it open. At first glance, there was nothing different in her closet. Then her eye caught movement. It was coming from a medium sized, ornate box. She picked up the box and opened it.

"That's odd," she murmured. "I thought this thing had disappeared-"

* * *

Deep in the desert stands an ancient temple, almost completely buried in the sand. However, one passageway remains open. Through the doorway, down the hall, a secret room appears. Strange hieroglyphs are inscribed on the walls, and if you look at them through the corner of your eye they seem to _move_. Suddenly a glowing portal opens, leading to another realm. The portal releases _them_, and _they_ have come for their leader.

* * *

Our heroes now face a new challenge, what could it be? Will anything happen between Ash and Angie to bring them closer together? What is Team Rocket planning? Can they really get stronger? And who is this young girl with the Teddiursa? What happened in those mysterious desert ruins? Keep sending in those reviews, questions, and PMs, and you just might find out! Being a High School senior is tough, by the way! It may be awhile before I update again, but stay tuned anyway. See ya!


	14. Get Ready,

Hi! Sorry that this update took so long, but I got the swine flu and was out like a Slaking! But I came up with a plot twist while I was lying in bed with hog fever, so I suppose it wasn't a total loss. And if you go to the end of my profile, I posted the story theme song! But enough chatter. Let us begin this chapter in the middle of the Great Ocean…

* * *

"Sir, another portal is opening. Bearing 2-4-7 at fourteen kilometers." The man speaking cleared his throat nervously. "It's still too far away to access, but we're calculating the openings better. I'd estimate that within another month or two we can be on location when a portal opens." He cringed slightly as he prepared for a verbal lashing from his captain. A large, rounded man stepped off his chair that lowered from its position several feet in the air. His thick beard poured over his long red cloak as he stood still, considering the red glow coming from the multiple screens in front of him.

"Hmm," he grunted. "Very well. Crew, continue projecting the most likely places where the portals will open." The first officer saluted and started to turn back to his terminal when his captain spoke again. "Gailand?"

"Yes, sir?" the first officer answered.

"Remember, there are two types of men in this world," the bearded man rumbled. "Those who have the patience to obtain rare and precious jewels… And those who do _not!_"

* * *

"My brother is here," Reggie said. Mouths dropped open in shock.

"But how?! How did he know where I was?" Ash had a panicky look on his face. Angie pointed an accusing finger at Reggie.

"_You_ told him, didn't you!" she hissed angrily as Reggie took a step backward. May and Dawn each grabbed a hold of one of Angie's arms and pulled them behind her back just in the nick of time. But Angie's furious energy was so strong that she was pulling the other two girls along behind her, their heels leaving grooves in the ground. Ash grabbed her shoulders and together with the added effort of Gary and Drew, the five of them bore the furious daughter of the Daycare supervisors to the ground.

"Angie, listen to me," Ash shouted over the girl's tirade. "I'm sure Reggie didn't do it!"

"Are you sure?! Are you _sure_?!"

"Yes! I'm sure! Now just _calm down_!" Angie took several deep breaths as Ash helped her back up. "I' sure Reggie will tell us how Paul managed to find the Daycare Center."

"It happened when we were all battling Lucario," Reggie explained. "The huge explosion that was caused attracted my brother. He tells me that he came here looking for a fight, not you."

"Well," Ash said with a force and confidence that surprised everyone, even himself. "If it's a fight he's looking for than he's got one right here!"

"Ash, are you sure you know what you're doing?"

"Yes!" _No._ "I'll fight with Charizard, nothing can beat him!" _Except for another Charizard, a Blaziken, a Dusclops…_ Ash's battered conscience that had developed in recent weeks tried to warn Ash off from a storm that was sure to come, but he ignored it. If he played this right, he'd win and earn some tangible respect from Angie's parents. Then he would openly ask Angie to be his girlfriend. Good plan, right? _Oh no, here we go again…_ "You up to this, Charizard?" Ash's massive Flame Poke'mon roared loudly and launched a hot jet of fire into the air. Gary and Drew finished a hasty conversation and walked up to Ash.

"Ash, Gary and I need to talk to you as soon as possible, preferably before the battle," Drew said. "Would now be a good time?" he asked hopefully. Ash shook his head.

"You guys are not going to talk me out of this," the raven-haired youth grinned. "Nice try, though." Drew pinched his brow in frustration as Ash marched around the corner of the house.

"No, this isn't about the battle at all," he muttered as he followed behind everyone else… smack into another sad situation. Barry was bawling his eyes out as Zoey tried to comfort him. Drew managed to catch the last bits of Zoey's dialogue.

"…so I told him that it just wasn't working out, and as you can see…" Zoey gestured to the sobbing trainer. "Barry, please get up." The blonde-haired trainer suddenly stood up and dashed the tears from his eyes.

"Okay I'm all better now and hey what's everyone doing just standing around oh and Ash Paul's here so you might want to lay low for a bit and wow who's Charizard is that that is one massive Charizard but my Empoleon could beat that Charizard easy can I ride it who wants ice-cream I know I want some and there's this great place in town-"

"Barry, there's no time for ice-cream, 'cause I'm gonna challenge Paul with Charizard!" Ash shouted over Barry's hyperactive babbling.

"Oh. Are you sure you want to do that? Because I don't think Paul's ever lost to you, and why is the kidnapper here?" Max stepped forward angrily.

"Hey, leave her alone! She just made a mistake, okay? She doesn't need people questioning her all the time!" Max realized that everyone was staring at him. He shuffled his feet nervously. "Um, yeah. That's all. Yeah. … Don't you people have anything better to do besides stare at me? Did I really do anything that odd?! No! So go about your business!" Everyone continued staring. "J-just stop _staring_ at me! You guys are freaking me out!" And then Paul appeared. Ash stepped in front of Angie before she did anything rash.

"So," Paul said. "You still think that you can beat me with your weakling Poke'mon? You _are_ pathetic." Ash's fists clenched as he recalled every defeat he'd suffered from his battles with the purple-haired trainer.

"I won't lose this time," Ash challenged. "Charizard was one of my first Poke'mon. It'd been abandoned when I'd found it as a Charmander, but I raised it and took care of it, and before I knew it that little Charmander evolved into Charizard. Me 'n Charizard are unstoppable. It even helped me beat Brandon at the Battle Pyramid!" That got Paul's attention, and he looked more closely at Ash's Flame Poke'mon. The Fire/Flying-Type spread its wings threateningly, but Paul merely smirked.

"My Torterra could beat your Charizard, no problem."

"Then why don't you put your money where your mouth is?" Ash yelled. "I challenge you to a battle! One-on-one! My Charizard versus your Torterra!" Paul continued smirking.

"You can't," he said simply.

"Huh?"

"Trainers are not allowed to have more than six Poke'mon with them at a time. Seeing as you already have seven Poke'mon with you, your Charizard cannot fight for you. Your challenge is null and void." Ash gritted his teeth as he realized the unfortunate truth behind Paul's words.

"Not so fast!" someone yelled. Ash's cluster of friends parted to reveal Angie, donned in her burlap apron she wore while she worked around the Daycare Center. The turquoise-haired girl marched up to Ash and grabbed him by the shoulders.

"Ash, will you entrust the care of your partner, Charizard, to me, Angie, as a Poke'sitter at the Solaceon Daycare Center?" Ash didn't respond right away. He'd never seen her this deadly serious before. There was a glint of steel in her eyes that told Ash that she was readying for a fight to the end. He decided that argument was not the wisest course of action.

"U-um, sure, but-" Angie was already turned toward Ash's rival.

"Paul," she shouted. "As the Poke'sitter of the Solaceon Daycare Center, I challenge you to a battle! Charizard versus Torterra in a one-on-one match!" Her voice was full of confidence, strength, and something else. Ash couldn't quite place it. Protectiveness? Paul's brother stepped between the two parties.

"Okay, I'll referee the match. Each trainer will have twenty minutes to prepare for the battle. Agreed?" Angie nodded in confirmation. Paul just snorted in derision and walked off. Drew took the opportunity to grab Ash by the arm and drag him away.

"Gary, come on," the green-haired coordinator called behind him. "It's time for us to have a little talk with Ash." Ash struggled to fish something from his belt, and he tossed a red object to Angie. She caught it and inspected the object.

"Angie, that's my Pokedex," Ash called out as he was dragged away. "It'll have all the information you need on Charizard!" Then Ash disappeared around the corner with his two former rivals. Zoey, Misty, May, and Dawn clustered around Angie, and Dawn clasped her hands together and placed them against her cheek.

"Wow! You're really gonna go up against Paul for Ash? That's so romantic!" Dawn squealed excitedly. The other girls froze at the mention of the 'R' word. "It's just like something from a storybook!" Everyone let out little sighs of relief that Dawn was clueless to Angie's romantic dilemma. Zoey gave Angie a pat on the back.

"You don't have to worry about Paul, we'll help you and Charizard develop some strategies so that this battle will be in the bag," she reassured Angie. May and Dawn struck confident poses as they added their two cents.

"I'll help you come up with new twists on old moves that'll give you an edge in battle!" May said confidently.

"And I've seen Paul's Torterra in battle, so I can tell you about Paul's battling style," Dawn chimed in helpfully.

"As a Water Poke'mon trainer, I know all about the weaknesses of Fire-Type Poke'mon and I can show you how to overcome those weaknesses," Misty added with a wink. "We'll also help you with your other problem." Angie's vision blurred as she smiled at her newfound friends.

"Th-thanks you guys," Angie sniffled. "You guys are the best! Thanks so much!" Her tearful reverie was cut short by a Flamethrower attack from Ash's Charizard. Angie performed a brief dance of agony as she tried to cool her seared flesh. May giggled.

"Y'know, Angie," she said cheerfully, "I think that Charizard wants to start training with you right away!" Angie turned to the Flame Poke'mon.

"Is that true, Charizard?" she asked. "Is that why you hit me with that Flamethrower?" Ash's Charizard gave a sharp nod and spat a large ember to the side. Angie punched the air in triumph. "That's the spirit! Let's get started right away!"

_

* * *

_

In a distant mountain range in the Hoenn Region…

A glimmer of light reflects the noonday sun from the side of a mountain. A crystalline cocoon begins to glow, and all of the Poke'mon in the area begin to gather. In a burst of light, something emerges from the cocoon. After shaking its large head to orient itself, it begins to fly toward the sky, but then it turns back. A huge amount of energy is released, and, when the glow fades, a round, multicolored object is nestled in a crystalline nest. The creature arranges the nest, seals it within a small cave, and then streaks through the sky in a bolt of light, headed for the Sinnoh Region.

* * *

_Mount Caena, Johto Region_

_My friends_, a telepathic voice boomed out on the desolate landscape of Mt. Caena's peak. A tall, pale violet Poke'mon stood before a gathering of many different types of Poke'mon, flanked by a small tan Poke'mon with a charm on its forhead and a bright yellow Poke'mon. _I have called you here to discuss the strange disturbances that have occurred recently, and the pull we all feel to do something._ The yellow Poke'mon with a lightning-bolt shaped tail stepped forward.

"Pika! Pi pika pi-ka ka pika!"

_You say there is nothing to discuss? That we should all heed this call?_

"Pika ka! Pika-ka pi pi-ka!" War-like cries echoed over the barren terrain as other Poke'mon supported the Pikachu.

_But what of the young ones? Who will watch over them as their parents march off to an uncertain fate?_

"Pi ka, ka pi pika! Pika ka pika!"

_Taking young ones along is a dangerous proposition. However, this allows for the parents to assist in the coming conflict and watch over their children. Children who, unlike their parents, were born into this world. They are our legacy for the future, and they must be protected at all costs._

"Nya nyanya? Nyaw nyanya," the beige Poke'mon said. The violet Poke'mon stared at the sky.

_Yes, the moon is round and full. Today it shines brightly, and it is a symbol for our rightful existence upon this world. We must ensure that this world remains untarnished, unblemished, pure, so that the future generations may live in peace. If that means that we must temporarily leave _this_ world to save it, then so be it. _All of the Poke'mon began to glow as the violet Poke'mon lifted the others along with itself using its psychic powers. _My friends, we leave now!_

* * *

Well! Did anyone think that Angie would be the one to battle Paul? Tell me what you think of this latest chapter? Tell me in a review, and while you're at it, try answering these questions as well: What are Ash, Drew, and Gary going to talk about? Will Angie and Charizard manage to get in sync in time for the big battle? Who do you think is going to win? I can't wait for this battle to get started, so stay tuned! See ya!


	15. Get Set,

Sorry about the wait again. I just couldn't find a good place to stop! This chapter focuses mostly on Ash and his attempts to sail the seas of love without a compass, a map, or even a general idea of what he's going to do once he reaches his destination. However, there is a section that focuses on Paul, with an explanation as to why he is so distrustful of friendship and emotion. This chapter has excellent leading action, but don't just take my word for it! Read on!

* * *

"Stop here," a female voice commanded. Around the bridge there was a bustle as people rushed to do as she bid. "Prepare to communicate. Close wave transmission. I don't want anyone listening in on me."

"Listening in on me, listening in on me!" a colorful bird-like Pokémon squawked. The dangerous female figure in the captain's chair shot a venomous glare at one of her lackeys.

"If you don't make that thing shut up right now, I'm going to shoot it." The blond-haired grunt saluted.

"Yes ma'am!" he said. He raised his arm and called the Music Note Pokémon to his shoulder. "Chatot, shh," he whispered. The Chatot bobbed its head.

"Shh, shh," it whispered back. The captain turned her attention to a view screen as it flickered on, revealing a brown-haired man in a loud orange suit. He petted a tan colored Pokémon in his lap.

"Well well, Rare Hunter," the man on-screen said. "So nice to make your acquaintance at last."

"You said you had a job offer," J said abruptly.

"I see that you do not know of the finer points of political courtesy," the man sniffed. J snorted in annoyance. "Very well. Mewtwo. Have you heard of it?"

"I've heard rumors. It is supposed to be the most powerful Pokémon in the world, and it was cloned from the fossilized DNA of a Mew."

"I am the one who ordered its creation, but it escaped. It even tried to wipe my memories of its existence, but it didn't count on my computer files. I have huge files documenting its power and behavior, enough to refresh my memory. I have attempted to capture it myself, but I overestimated the ability of my underlings."

"So you're asking me to capture it for you," J said. "This will be a risky operation, and it could end up costing me a lot. How much are you offering?"

"Should you succeed, I will reward you with $400,000."

"I won't take anything less than $1.8 million, 30% in advance," J said brusquely.

"What!? That's daylight robbery!" the man shouted.

"When anyone hires me, they're hiring the best of the best. I have the highest success rate of any poacher in the world. That isn't cheap. If you wanted cheap, you shouldn't have contacted me."

"Hmph. Very well. The funds will be transmitted to your account now." The man waved a hand vaguely to someone off-screen, and the view switched to static. J's second-in-command stepped forward.

"Sir, what is our next action?"

"Hold this position and remain cloaked. I want complete comm. silence. Passive sensors only." J got up and left the bridge. "Contact me when that Pyramid starts moving."

* * *

"Okay, you two," Ash said irritably. "What did you want to talk to me about? And make it fast, I want to help Angie get to know Charizard better." Drew smirked as he flicked his hair casually.

"Yes, about _Angie_," he said, noting that Ash's face was coloring slightly. "She is very… attractive to you, isn't she?"

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT?!" Ash yelled. Gary raised his hands in an attempt to calm his former rival.

"Ash, calm down," he chuckled. "It's not like we're going to blackmail you or anything! We just want to help you win over your love interest!" He and Drew both shrank back as Ash seemed to tower over them.

"WHAT MAKES YOU THINK THAT I HAVE A LOVE INTEREST?!"

"Ash, quiet!" Drew hissed. "One of the girls might overhear you!" The raven-haired trainer fumed as Drew spoke. "You're doing a fairly good job of keeping your feelings dampened, but they're starting to bubble out. You have to get your feelings out in the open soon, and on your own terms. It'll be really bad for you if your emotions just suddenly burst out. And if you can't admit it to us, you certainly won't be able to admit them to _her_." Pikachu hopped onto Ash's shoulder.

"Pikapi, pika Cha-pi pika chuu pika pi chaa," the Mouse Pokémon said. Ash rubbed his longtime partner under the chin.

"You think so, huh?" Pikachu nodded. "Well, I can't argue with you, buddy," Ash sighed as he sat down on the ground. "Okay, what's the first embarrassing task I have to endure?" Drew crossed his arms over his chest as he and Gary sat down as well.

"You don't have to act like that," he said. "How were you first planning to break it to her?" Ash began to fidget.

"I'm still not too sure about this," he said, blushing. Pikachu shook his head and then began fishing around in Ash's left pant's pocket. "Hey! Pikachu, stop that!" Ash tried to get his Electric-Type away from his pocket.

"Okay, Ash," Gary said sternly. "What's in your pocket that Pikachu is trying to get?" Ash sweat-dropped as he continued to wrestle his Pikachu.

"Heh heh, um, nothing! Pikachu, get out of there!" Pikachu suddenly leapt away, waving a small, folded piece of paper in his paw. "Ack! Pikachu, give that back, quick!" He dove for the paper, but Gary's expert hands plucked it from Pikachu's grasp first. "Hey, give that back! That's mine!"

"Okay, but what is it?" Drew asked. Gary fended Ash off with one arm as he partially opened the piece of paper.

"Hm," he muttered to himself. "Looks like a poem- Oh shoot! Ash, sit down like nothing's happened, quick!" The researcher shoved Ash away as he stuffed the hastily folded piece of paper in a pocket.

"Hey, be careful with tha-"

"DID SOMEONE SAY 'POEM?!'" Dawn burst around the corner of the center in a great hurry. Gary shrugged.

"Sorry, Dawn. Must've been your imagination." Dawn began pouting.

"Aw, darn. I wanted to hear some poetry. Gary, do you think you could you make some poetry for me? Please?" she begged. Gary shook his head and grinned.

"Okay, after I'm done with Ash and Drew, I'll see what I can do for you, okay?" Dawn clapped her hands together and hopped up and down.

"Wow, Gary, that was a great poem!" she squealed happily. She gave Gary a quick hug and then skipped off, back around the center. Gary blinked.

"Phew, that was close," Drew muttered. "That was quick thinking, Gary."

"Actually, I kinda did that one on accident," Gary said sheepishly. He pulled Ash's poem out again and opened it completely, causing a slip of paper to fall out. The light material of the paper caught a breeze, sending the slip into the air. Ash tried to grab it, but it fluttered out of his reach. Thinking quickly, Pikachu leaped into the air and grabbed it in his mouth before it blew away. The loyal Electric-Type dropped the slip of paper into Ash's lap.

"Thanks," Ash sighed in relief. "I don't know what I would've done if you hadn't grabbed that for me." Pikachu hopped onto Ash's shoulder and rubbed his head against his trainer's face affectionately. Drew cleared his throat impatiently.

"Ash, you did a very good job with this p-" he began, before Gary interrupted him and made desperate cutting motions across his throat. "Excuse me. Ash, you did a very good job with this… thingy. But I have to warn you, you're kind of working on a cliché here." Ash pointed an incriminatory finger at the green-haired coordinator.

"Hey, you're one to talk, Mister 'These-roses-aren't-for-you-they're-for-your-Beautifly!' Ha! _Roses?_ May saw right through that the first time! Even _I_ saw through it! Now _there's_ a cliché if I ever saw one!" Drew sweat-dropped.

"Okay, okay, you have a point," Drew conceded. "But back to the first question: How were you first planning to admit to Angie that you're in love with her?" Ash pulled his hat over his eyes and started to get up.

"Y'know, I just remembered that I have to go do something," he mumbled as he tried to escape. Gary pulled a Pokeball from his belt and threw it into the air.

"Oh, no you don't! Alakazam, pin him down with Psychic!" A yellow-brown Pokémon appeared, holding in its hands a pair of spoons. It pointed the spoons at Ash, and the trainer began to glow with blue light. Ash tripped and was unable to move, no matter how hard he struggled. "Give up?" Gary asked. Ash nodded reluctantly, and the blue glow faded. Ash struggled to an upright position and walked back to where he'd been sitting moments before. He took several deep breaths before he started talking.

"At first I was going to go to her room and hide that poem in one of her books so that she'd find it after I'd left," he began. "But I realized that I'd have no way of being certain she would find it. So then I thought that I could hide it under her pillow, 'cause I'd be certain she'd be able to find it there. Then I got this great idea." He passed the little slip of paper to Gary. "It's a voucher for a music box. I thought she'd like one," he mumbled, blushing furiously.

"Actually, it's a pretty good idea," Gary said as he held the voucher up to the light. "Huh. Looks like you picked out a specific music box. Know if it's any good?" Ash nodded proudly.

"Yup. I picked the best one available and I made sure that one was reserved at the Solaceon shop." Ash rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. "But I kinda had to use most of my money for that, so I had to eat light for awhile when I wasn't at a Pokémon Center and Brock wasn't cooking."

"Knowing you, Dawn and Brock probably weren't able to sleep for awhile because of your stomach growling," Gary snickered. Ash became indignant.

"Hey, I've got a healthy appetite, that's all!"

"'Healthy appetite' my eye! I've seen you out-eat a Snorlax!" Gary laughed. Drew cleared his throat again.

"Okay, Ash. I've got a plan. Now, you two listen closely…"

* * *

"I can't watch," Dawn moaned in horror as she covered her eyes.

"She's gonna get herself killed!" May exclaimed.

"Makes for a good picture, though," Tracy said brightly as he scribbled away furiously. Misty leaned over and observed her boyfriend recreating the scene in front of him on paper.

"Angie, I know you help your parents take care of other people's Pokémon, but are you sure you know what you're doing?" Zoey asked worriedly. She, along with Misty, Tracy, May, and Dawn, was sitting on a long bench that sat next to the wall of the Daycare Center, watching Angie train with Ash's Charizard.

"Sure I'm sure," Angie shouted back confidently as she leaned out of the way of a Flamethrower attack. "You're gonna have to be faster than that," she taunted the Flame Pokémon. She tilted her body and slipped past another Flamethrower. "Come on! You call that an attack? I've seen candles that were more dangerous than that!" A blood vessel throbbed on Charizard's head as it took a deep breath.

"Chaaarrrrr!" A long tendril of fire encircled Angie and then formed a burning column of flames. After several agonizing seconds, the hellish tornado burst apart, revealing a somewhat burnt Angie with a fist raised victoriously.

"Charizard, that was great!" she shouted enthusiastically. "Do it just like that in the battle, okay?" The Fire/Flying-Type Pokémon launched a fireball into the air. "That's the spirit! Now, let's practice your Seismic Toss!" The observers recoiled in pure unadulterated horror. Ash's Charizard flapped its mighty wings and surged toward Angie. The turquoise-haired girl ducked out of the way as the Flame Pokémon soared past. "Not on me this time!" she yelled as she began running toward the forested area across the road. "Come on, let's go everyone!"

Once they were all across the road, Angie began to survey her surroundings. Misty tapped her on the shoulder.

"Um, Angie?" she asked. "What are you looking for?"

"I'm looking for a biggish sized rock." Misty blinked as she thought about this.

"Biggish?"

"Yeah," Angie answered. "Aha! There's one! Okay, Charizard! Use Seismic Toss on that boulder over there!" Charizard roared as it flew at the rock Angie was pointing at. The Fire/Flying-Type's powerful claws gripped the stone as it began flapping its powerful wings. The heavy boulder remained where it was. "C'mon Charizard! You can do it!" Angie's Shinx, who never left her side, also shouted encouragement. Gradually the other trainers joined in, cheering the Flame Pokémon on as it struggled to lift the boulder. Charizard flapped its wings even harder, creating a dust storm. Gradually the boulder began to rise amidst much celebration. Exhausted, Charizard dropped the boulder and landed for a rest. Angie rushed up to Charizard and gave it a hug.

"You did great, Charizard! Let's take a rest, then we'll try again, okay?" Charizard growled in affirmation between deep, oxygen-providing breaths. Dawn nudged Zoey.

"Zoey, why was Angie having Charizard use Seismic Toss on that boulder?" she asked her friend and rival.

"You see, Torterra is not a small Pokémon," the red-haired coordinator explained. "Seismic Toss is a really hard move to pull off when you're battling a large opponent. Angie knows this, so she's trying to strengthen Charizard up enough so that it can use Seismic Toss on Paul's Torterra. If you look, you'll notice that the boulder is about the size of a Torterra."

"Wow, that's so cool!"

"Heh, tell me about it. This battle's going to be one that should be recorded for the history books, because it could be so useful for teaching young trainers how important strategy and technique are in a Pokémon battle. Paul's Torterra has two type disadvantages, but it can use the move Stone Edge, which is super-effective against both Flying-Type and Fire-Type Pokémon. The outcome of this battle is going to be decided by the trainer's battling styles and strategies, not power."

* * *

Reggie watched his brother from a distance as he trained with his Torterra and his Honchcrow. He felt someone slip their arm around his, and he found himself staring into the pink eyes of the Veilstone City Gym Leader. He sighed as he turned back to his brother. The two of them spent several moments just watching Paul.

"He didn't always use to be like this," Reggie said after awhile. "He used to be very happy-go-lucky, cheerful, eager to make friends with people and Pokémon."

"Really?" Maylene asked, unconvinced. The image of a happy, smiling, friendly Paul just didn't work in her head.

"Yes, he was almost the complete opposite of who he is now. He tagged along with me when I went to Sandgem Town to get my first Pokémon, and Professor Rowan was so impressed with my brother that he let him get his Turtwig early. He couldn't battle, of course, but he took really good care of it. Dad was really proud. I always called back home every day to see how Paul was doing while I was traveling. He was always so happy to see me."

"If what you say is true, then why is Paul always such a jerk?" Maylene asked, still confused. Reggie sighed again.

"I think it started back when my dad got that invitation to become a Battle Brain at the Kanto Battle Frontier. He began to withdraw emotionally because he was alone for long stretches of time, but he still looked up to me as a role model. I was getting win after win in the Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh Leagues. I should have stopped there, I should have gone back home to take care of my little brother. But I kept going." A single tear worked its way down Reggie's face. Maylene reached up and wiped the teardrop away with her finger.

"Reggie, don't blame yourself," she said quietly. "It's not your fault. Of course you wanted to keep going, so would I if I were in your place. No one wants to stop having adventures when they're doing so well." She intertwined her fingers with his and gave his hand a quick squeeze of affection. "It's only natural to want to go with what you know."

"I get that, but it doesn't make it feel any better," Reggie whispered, staring at the ground. "I decided to take on the Battle Frontier, and I beat the first six easily. My battle against my father for the seventh Frontier Symbol was the thing that made Paul completely cut himself off from everyone else. I lost that battle, and I decided to quit traveling. Paul was watching that battle, and he'd just gotten his Pokedex. He thought I was giving up, and he lost most of his faith in me. He's made it his ultimate goal to defeat our father at the Battle Pyramid. He'll keep challenging dad until he finally wins. He's so distrustful of friendship because of me and my father. His only real friend is Torterra. I think Torterra is the only one of his Pokémon who can directly disobey his orders and get away with it." He scuffed the ground with his foot. "I think that Paul is jealous of Ash, because Ash seems to have gotten all of the opportunities that he missed out on. Ash has friends, he's very happy for the most part, and he treats his Pokémon like they were his own kids. Paul feels that he didn't get the family life he sees between Ash and his Pokémon. That's why Paul is so abrasive toward everyone, especially Ash." He shut his eyes against the tears he knew were coming. "I only wish there was some way to reverse what happened."

* * *

"Okay Charizard," Angie yelled as she pulled out her Pokéballs. "Time to practice some dodging! Come on out everyone!" Three red-and-white orbs sailed into the air. Two of the orbs burst open, releasing Angie's Heracross and Snover. The third Pokéball fell to the ground without doing anything. Angie groaned. "Not again!"

"Is that Shinx's Pokéball?" Misty asked as she picked up the empty device. Angie shook her head.

"I wish," she grumbled. "No, one of my Pokémon escaped again. And wherever it is, it's probably causing trouble. My parents told me to release it, but it's just too cute and friendly." Angie sighed in frustration. "Figures that three of my four Pokémon are comedians." Snover and Heracross put their hands behind their backs and looked everywhere but at their trainer, whistling nonchalantly. Dawn tried to walk over to Angie, but she tripped right in front of Snover.

"Ow," she moaned as she removed her foot from a loop of foliage in the grass. "Was that a Grass Knot attack? Say, I've seen this Snover before," Dawn said as she peered at Angie's Frost Tree Pokémon. "You're the Snover who gave us those Berries because you were lonely, aren't you?" The Grass/Ice-Type nodded happily.

"Cha-pi!" Ash's Pikachu shouted as it scampered across the road toward Angie. "Cha-pi, Pikapi pika chu pika chaa!" Angie was startled when Pikachu jumped up onto her shoulder with a folded piece of paper in his mouth. The yellow Electric-Type dropped the paper into Angie's hand. The turquoise-haired girl smiled.

"Pikachu, is this for me?" Pikachu nodded. "Well, I'm kind of busy right now, so…"

"Pika?"

"I'll look at it later, okay?" Pikachu began protesting as she began to slip Ash's love poem into her pocket.

"Cha-pi! Pika Pikapi chaa pika chu!" Too late. Pikachu slapped his paw over his eyes and groaned as he shook his head. This was not going according to plan. _Maybe if I'd opened it first…_ he thought bemusedly as Angie began walking over to where the battle was going to take place. _I sure hope Ash has another plan ready._

* * *

"Well," Drew said from behind some bushes. "That could have gone better."

"Sorry, Ashy boy, but it looks like you're just gonna have to tell her the truth yourself," Gary grinned, resulting in Drew rapping him sharply on the head. "Ow! Hey, that hurt!" Ash sighed and stood up.

"Come on, you guys," he said. "It's time for the battle, and I've gotta be there to support Angie!" Ash stumbled out of the bushes and suddenly froze in fear, causing Drew and Gary to trip over him.

"Ash! For crying out loud, watch where you're going," Gary grumbled. "Ash? Ash!" The raven-haired trainer pulled himself together.

"S-s-sorry," he stuttered as he edged away. "Come on, l-lets g-go." And with that Ash sprinted away as fast as he could. Gary and Drew exchanged quizzical glances.

"What was all that about?" Gary asked. Drew shrugged.

"I have no idea what goes through his head sometimes," he sighed. "By the way, was that lawnmower there earlier?"

* * *

_Back in the Reverse World…_

"Ha ha ha haaa," a crazed voice yelled from a large cavern filled with scientific instruments. "And now, once I inject this Rayquaza DNA into my blood stream, I shall gain the power to transform into the mighty Sky High Pokémon! And then I shall have my revenge! Ha ha ha haaaa-" the maniacal laughing was abruptly cut off as a wooden mallet soared through the air and bonked the voice's head.

"Would you stop the laughing and just get on with it," a female voice yelled from a beach towel spread out on the floor. "I'm trying to read! Right, Ricochet?"

"Zan za zazan, ga zan zann za!" A red-and-white Pokémon agreed from beside its trainer.

"You may scoff, but now I-" WHACK! "Would you stop hitting me with hammers that you pull out of nowhere!?" the first voice yelled as the second mallet rebounded and destroyed a large bubble.

"She does have a point though," a younger female said as she entered the well lit cavern. "You're acting like a mad scientist and it's scaring my poor Riolu. For scaring him, I just might break out my favorite tools, which just might be something that goes boom and causes big brother to launch into sky with big bang. 'Kay? Either that or these guys can do the big boom," the younger girl said as she threw five Pokéballs into the air. A Lanturn, Swellow, Vulpix, Prinplup and a Vibrava appeared in a flash of white light.

"My dear little sister, 'tis _I_ who will be causing the booms from now on," Cameron crowed in victory as he inserted a hypo into his arm and injected a pale green liquid. His sister, Hayley, and his friend, Melody, stared with interest. Nothing happened. "Wait for it… Wait for it…"

"Cameron, just give it up. Though you may be more than a match for anyone in a Pokémon battle, you just have to admit you're weaknesses," Melody said. "In actual hand-to-hand combat you're fast, but you're so weak I've seen a light breeze give you trouble." A large vein pulsed on Cameron's forehead.

"What?! You arrrrRRAAAAHHGG!" His speech became indecipherable as four black horns sprouted from the sides of his face. Melody stood up as a dark miasma began flowing across the cave floor toward the black-haired trainer. As it reached him, the miasma swirled into a massive twister that completely hid Cameron from view. Sparkling gold patterns began to play up and down the sides of the vortex as it began to solidify. The dark cyclone burst apart, revealing an unusually colored Rayquaza; black where there should be green, and gold where there should be red.

Cameron roared in triumph and reared up, promptly smashing his head into the ceiling and knocking himself out cold.

* * *

So, howsabout that? Like it? The next two chapters are going to be song fics, and I'll post the songs on my profile when I post the chapters. I have made another appearance, and so has my friend! I will now go by the name Cameron (not my real name), my friend will go by the name of Melody (not her real name), and my sister will go by the name of Hayley (not her real name). In other news, the battle between the teams of Angie and Charizard versus Paul and his Torterra will begin next chapter, so stay tuned!

P.S.: I am making an appearance in another fic! In ChristanDragon's Fanfic, _Legendary Truth or Dare,_ I have made some dares, and I have challenged CD to a battle! His Umbreon form vs. my Rayquaza form! See who wins! Root for me!

P.S.S.: Has anyone noticed that I'm getting better at writing Pikachu's speech? _Pikapi_ is Ash, and I made up a name for Angie: _Cha-pi_! Anyway, See ya!


	16. Let The Battle Begin!

Wow, Songfics are easy to write! I had no idea that my update would be this fast! Well, my sister does not like the normal sounding name of 'Hayley,' so we're going to go with the name 'Sola' instead. My friend/nemesis also hates the normal sounding name I gave her, she much prefers Melody, which is "Kyoku" in English.

In other news, this is the latest Chapter! Get ready for an amazing battle and some surprises about one of the characters! Prepare for trouble with the things you see! Happy Halloween! Read on!

* * *

A large crowd of people and all of their Pokémon gathered at the field where the battle was going to take place. Angie had to take several deep breaths to calm her nerves. _Man, this is more intense than I expected,_ Angie thought. _Can I really do this? From what I saw from watching Ash on TV, Paul's a really tough opponent. Will I really be able to go through with this?_ Angie began to feel faint with nervousness. She looked down when someone tugged on her pant leg.

"Shinx shi shii-nx shinx inx shinx," her Shinx said supportively with a grin.

"Cha-pi, pika pi pikachu pikaa!" Ash's Pikachu chimed in before he was dragged off by Buneary. Angie sighed wistfully as she watched Pikachu and Buneary get themselves situated at the battle field.

"Y'know," Angie said with a small giggle. "I don't think Pikachu really realizes how lucky he is."

"Shinx shinx," the Spark Pokémon agreed.

"Angie! Hey, Angie!" Angie turned to see Ash running over to her. Angie smiled as Ash leaned over to catch his breath.

"Well, looks like someone was getting some exercise," Angie grinned. "I was wondering if you were going to miss the battle!"

"I wouldn't miss this battle for anything!" Ash countered. "Charizard, you ready for this?" Ash's Charizard roared and flared its wings in anticipation. "Angie, what about you? You think you can beat Paul and show him what a real trainer is made of?"

"I know I can," Angie said confidently as she clenched a fist in front of herself. "This battle's gonna be a piece of cake!"

"That's the kind of thing I like to hear!" Ash grinned as he mirrored Angie's pose. "With that kind of attitude you're gonna win, no doubt!" His grin faltered as he noticed Angie's parents walking toward them. "I'll be cheering you on from the sidelines, okay?" Angie suddenly noticed her parents as well.

"Yeah, well, you'd better get going if you're gonna get a good seat to cheer from!" They waved to each other as Ash squirmed into a good patch of grass to watch from.

_Countless eyes are watching  
In this our finest hour  
It's time to realize the dream  
Of who we really are  
_

Angie stopped waving as she was enveloped in a hug from her mother. "Oh Angie, Brock told us everything that's going on. That was such a brave thing you did, and I'm so very, very proud of you," Angie's mother whispered in her daughter's ear. Angie noticed that her mother's cheeks were streaked with tears.

"Mom, what's wrong?" she asked worriedly. Her father placed a hand on her shoulder.

"It's just hard for us to see our only daughter growing up and blossoming into a young adult," Angie's father smiled sadly. "I think it's finally time for us to give you our consent to go and travel abroad. You've shown tremendous courage and responsibility today, and I truly believe that there's no obstacle you can't overcome with Ash at your side."

"Dad, I thought I told you-" Angie began to protest.

"I'm not teasing you, Angie," her father interrupted. "I'm serious. No matter what happens, Ash is always looking out for you. And could you truthfully say that you would not do the same for him?"

"No," Angie murmured. "I'd look out for him forever if I had to, and I know he'd do the same for me." Angie's father smiled.

"I thought so. Well, Angie," her father said as he slapped her back. "You'd better get to that battle over there quick, or else you might be forced to forfeit!" Angie gave both her parents a hug.

"Thanks, you guys. I'll do my best to make you proud!" And with that, Angie strode off to a battle that would change her life.

_I'm gonna freeze this space in time  
Rise to make the call  
Seize the moment, Make it mine  
And through it all  
_

"The one-on-one battle between Angie of Solaceon Town and Paul of Veilstone City is about to commence!" Reggie yelled. "Trainers, please release your Pokémon!"

"Okay Charizard, get in there!" Angie shouted. Ash's Charizard took several large steps forward and spread its wings threateningly.

"Torterra, stand by for battle!" Paul shouted as he threw a Pokéball into the air. Paul's large Continent Pokémon appeared in a brief flash of light. Ash's Grotle shouted a greeting to the larger Pokémon, and the Grass/Ground-Type responded in kind.

"Angie, you can do this!" Ash yelled from the sidelines. Angie grinned in anticipation as a warm feeling welled up inside her. Soon everyone in the audience was giving Angie their support. Reggie cleared his throat, causing the field to go quiet.

"The battle is Angie's Charizard versus Paul's Torterra," the purple-haired breeder announced. "Are the trainers ready?"

"Yes!"

"Yes!"

"Then let the battle begin!" Reggie shouted.

_  
Straight as the arrow flies  
I will run towards the finish line  
With all the strength I've found  
My feet won't touch the ground  
_

"Charizard, get into the air and use Flamethrower!" Angie yelled. Ash's draconic orange Pokémon shot into the air as though it had been launched from a cannon. Taking a deep breath, Charizard launched a huge stream of orange and yellow flames at Paul's Torterra.

"Torterra, take it!" Paul shouted. Torterra rumbled an acknowledgement as it turned its body toward the oncoming attack. The great Continent Pokémon was engulfed in fire as Charizard's powerful Fire-Type attack hit it. Angie gasped in amazement.

_That Torterra is acting like it doesn't feel a thing!_ Angie thought to herself. "Charizard, time to crank up the heat! More power!" The fire intensified as Charizard unleashed more energy at Torterra. The intense heat began to react with the cooler surrounding air, and the flames began to spin around Torterra as a cyclone began to form. Paul's eyes narrowed.

"Torterra, stomp down now!" the purple-haired trainer ordered. The massive Grass/Ground-Type Pokémon reared up, and with a loud bellow crashed down onto all fours again. The shock wave that was created caused the fiery cyclone to burst apart, sending a wash of flame over everyone. Torterra stood firm on the slightly charred soil, unfazed.

_I will scale the heights if I believe  
The wings of faith will carry me  
I'll go the distance just to reach  
The arms I'm running to  
I'll go the extra mile for you  
_

"Now, dive down and use Steel Wing!" Angie shouted. Charizard flapped its wings to gain altitude, and then sped downward with wings glowing.

"Torterra, lower your head and take it!" Paul ordered. Torterra lowered its head defensively and braced itself as Charizard drew near. Charizard's Steel Wing collided with Torterra, and for several moments the two Pokémon struggled against each other. Torterra shoved forward powerfully, sending Charizard skidding backwards. Still on its feet, Charizard roared challengingly. "Torterra, now use Stone Edge!" Angie gritted her teeth as blue rings began to form around Torterra.

"This is it," Angie grunted to herself. _Wait for it, wait for it…_ The blue rings faded into sharp stone projectiles that were fired at Charizard. _Now!_ "Charizard, curl Steel Wing around yourself to make a shield!" Charizard obeyed, and the Stone Edge attack glanced off of the protective barrier that was created. "Now its our turn! Back in the air and use Dragon Rage!" Charizard shot back into the air and quickly launched a molten fireball at its opponent.

"Counter with Frenzy Plant!" Torterra stomped hard on the ground, and six thick, sparsely spiked vines burst from the ground and converged on the Dragon-Type attack. A huge explosion was created as the powerful attacks collided. The vines retracted as the smoke began to clear.

_  
I know it won't be easy  
To make you understand  
I want to take the glory  
And put it in your hands  
_

When the smoke cleared, Charizard was nowhere to be seen. A drop of sweat began to bead up on Paul's forehead. "What happened, where did it go?!" Angie smiled victoriously as she punched the air.

"Charizard, use Steel Wing one more time!" Paul had to duck as Charizard flew in from behind, wings glowing with energy. The attack hit its mark before Paul could say anything, and Torterra bellowed in pain as the attack smashed across its shell. "Use Steel Wing again, and use Flamethrower on your wings!" Charizard arced around and came from the side this time. A small spurt of flame caused Charizard's wings to catch fire, and the combination attack was strong enough to shove Torterra back a few feet.

"Angie, nice one!" Ash cheered from the side. "Keep it up!"

"Thanks, I will!" Angie yelled back. Paul ignored the chatter and focused on his Torterra.

"Torterra, are you okay?" Paul asked. Torterra shook itself of debris and nodded. "Good, we'll wait for an opening, and then we'll finish this quickly."

_'Cause your the light that makes me shine  
You're the hero in my eyes  
Win or lose, Do or die  
I'm a maiden heart_

"Charizard, let's try another Dragon Rage!" Angie yelled. Charizard roared as it spat a fireball at Torterra. Paul smirked.

"Knock it back!" Torterra braced itself against the impact of the large meteor, and began struggling to send the attack back to its source.

"Charizard, Flamethrower now!" Angie panicked. The great Flame Pokémon unleashed a stream of fire just as Paul's Torterra gave Dragon Rage one final shove that sent the fireball flying. The meteor absorbed the energy from Flamethrower and smashed into Charizard, knocking the Fire/Flying-Type from the sky. The Flame Pokémon slammed into the ground, sending up a huge cloud of dust.

_  
Straight as the arrow flies  
I will run towards the finish line  
With all the strength I've found  
My feet won't touch the ground  
_

Charizard struggled upright and spread his wings. It was obvious that Charizard was running low on energy. Monferno ran forward and launched a Flamethrower attack at Charizard's tail, causing the flame at the end of Charizard's tail to increase in size by tenfold. Power far beyond restored, Charizard fired an enormous Flamethrower at Paul's Torterra, who hunkered down protectively. Meanwhile, Grotle began arguing with Monferno.

When the flames subsided, Torterra began to wobble. The tree on Torterra's back had been scorched to nothing but a dead snag. Grotle called out to Torterra and launched an Energy Ball at its head. Torterra turned and caught the glowing sphere of energy. Using the last of its strength, Torterra swallowed the Energy Ball as Angie ordered Charizard to use Steel Wing.

The tree on Torterra's back suddenly came back to life, glowing green as leaves sprouted and flowed with energy. Torterra let out a bellow of gratitude as it stopped the Steel Wing attack with Giga Drain.

_I will scale the heights if I believe  
The wings of faith will carry me  
I'll go the distance just to reach  
The arms I'm running to  
I'll go the extra mile for you  
_

"Charizard, use Flamethrower to get out of that Giga Drain!"

"Torterra, use Stone Edge!" Charizard's Flamethrower collided with the blue rings of Stone Edge, creating a massive explosion that threw both Pokémon backwards. "Torterra, Hyper Beam!" An orange sphere formed within Torterra's mouth as the Continent Pokémon gathered energy.

"Charizard, shiel-" Angie managed to get out before Torterra launched the potent beam of energy into Charizard's chest. The resulting blast knocked Charizard off its feet, but the Flame Pokémon flapped its wings and regained its balance. "Charizard, are you okay?" Charizard growled affirmatively. "Great! Torterra can't move after using Hyper Beam, so this is our chance! Use Seismic Toss!"

_  
In the end  
I want to be able to say_

_I want all of me  
To tell the world to see  
That I would do it all again  
I'd go the extra mile  
_

Charizard grabbed onto Torterra's shell and began dragging the Continent Pokémon into the sky. Paul watched, horrified, as his one and only friend was pulled inexorably upwards. "Torterra, use Giga Drain as soon as you can move!" he yelled. Torterra bellowed back to its trainer, almost fifty feet down below.

_  
Straight as the arrow flies  
I will run towards the finish line  
With all the strength I've found  
My feet won't touch the ground_

Suddenly a tan object sped from the sky and smashed into the side of Charizard's head. The Fire/Flying-Type lost its concentration and fell to the ground with its opponent. Both Pokémon collided with the ground with a sickening crunch. Ash ran over to where his Charizard had fallen to find that the Flame Pokémon was not seriously injured. Which was much more than could be said for Paul's Torterra.

_I will scale the heights if I believe  
The wings of faith will carry me  
I'll go the distance just to reach  
The arms I'm running to  
I'll go the extra mile  
For you _

The great tortoise-like Pokémon had landed on its back. Its tree has splintered, sending large shards of wood deep into Torterra's body. The stone spikes on its back had shattered. Paul stood next to his Pokémon and cradled its head as it lay there. Its eyes closed, and Paul turned toward Angie with tears streaming down his face. He ran forward and punched her in the face as hard as he could. Reggie moved to stop his brother, but Ash was faster.

_  
Knowing it will be worth while  
I will go the extra mile  
For you_

* * *

Paul has just lost his temper due to the death of his only friend. What is Ash planning (or not planning, as it were) to do to Paul for punching Angie? Does anyone else besides Paul realize what happened to Torterra? Keep sending in those great reviews, and try to answer some of these questions! See ya!

P.S.: I can't believe that ChristianDragon thought I was a girl! A GIRL! For crying out loud! Has anyone _else_ thought that the author was a girl? Because those who have will be facing my Yanmega!


	17. Brother, My Brother

The reason this update took so long is that 1. I was rather upset about the number of people who thought I was a girl (but at least most of you apologized), and 2. I didn't enjoy writing the first few paragraphs. This is another song-fic, and the songs for this chapter and the previous one are posted at the bottom of my profile. Incase no one noticed, I've changed my user name. I feel it suits me better.

Well, enough of my blabbing, read on!

* * *

Ash tackled Paul to the ground and sent an angry fist into the other trainer's face. Paul countered by driving an elbow into Ash's ribs, causing the black-haired trainer to gasp in pain. Ash then attempted a headbutt, which Paul blocked before throwing Ash off himself, and both trainers struggled upright. The other trainers attempted to move in to stop the violence, but they were stopped in the nick of time by Brock and Reggie. The two elder trainers explained that any attempt to interfere would only result in more people getting hurt. Angie's parents were tending to their daughter, who was sporting a bleeding mouth as a result of inadvertently biting her tongue. Two younger trainers also had their attentions elsewhere.

_Brother my brother  
Tell me what are fighting for  
We've got to end this war  
We should love one another  
Oh, can't we just pretend  
This war never began  
We can try  
Brother my brother_

Paul followed a punch to the gut with a powerful roundhouse punch to the face. Ash managed to duck under the second attack and rammed into Paul's chest with his shoulder, knocking the purple-haired trainer to the ground. He looked up just in time to see Ash leap into the air, preparing to strike a finishing blow. Paul waited until the last moment to roll out of the way, Ash's fist leaving a dent in the ground where Paul's face had been not an instant earlier. Paul swept his leg across the ground, knocking Ash off his feet.

_We face each other from different sides  
The anger burns can't remember why  
It's kind of crazy to cause so much pain  
Our foolish pride makes us hate this way_

"I will not let you hurt Angie like that!" Ash yelled as he got back up. He lunged forward a second time, but Paul dodged and sent Ash sprawling with a kick to the back. Paul leaned down to finish the battle.

"You and Angie know nothing about hurt," he growled as he raised a fist. Ash quickly grabbed Paul by the throat and threw him aside before the other trainer could react. Rolling into a crouch, Ash sprang forward as he reached for Paul's face. Paul lashed out with his leg and heard a damp _snap_ as Ash's left leg was fractured. Before being knocked away, Ash managed to slash his fingers across Paul's face, drawing blood and barely missing Paul's right eye.

_We watch our world fall apart  
Tell me what good is winning  
When you lose your heart_

Paul dashed the blood from his eyes and attempted an elbow drop on Ash's left leg, but Ash swung his right leg in an arc, catching Paul's right arm and snapping it like a twig. A foot to the face sent Paul reeling backwards, and Ash used his opportunity to get into a crouch and leap forward a second time. Ignoring the pain in his left leg, he rammed Paul in the stomach and launched a flurry of punches.

_Brother my brother  
Tell me what are fighting for  
Isn't life worth so much more  
We should love one another  
Oh, can't we just pretend  
This war never began  
Tell me why  
Brother my brother_

"You two stop fighting right now!" Misty yelled in an attempt to calm the situation.

"Misty, I don't think either one of them can hear you," Brock yelled over the din. "They're so focused on tearing each other apart, I doubt either one of them will quit until the other one throws in the towel!"

"If you two don't stop that right now, I'm gonna fine you!" Barry shouted in frustration. He wanted to jump in and tear the two warring trainers apart himself, and was getting antsy from having nothing to do. "Alright, that does it! Staraptor, dive-bomb them with Tackle!" Barry's Staraptor began gaining altitude in preparation for some close passes.

"Great idea," Misty said. "We might be able to drive them away from each other using the attacks of our Pokémon! With that in mind; Staryu, use Bubblebeam!"

"Hyah!" the Water-Type yelled as it unleashed a volley of bubbles at the fighting duo. Ash and Paul ignored the exploding bubbles that crashed to the ground near them as they pummeled each other ruthlessly. Even Charizard's Flamethrower didn't faze the trainers.

_Let's take a moment to look deep inside  
and say we're willing to give love a try  
we're not as different as we seem to be  
there's so much more to me than what you see_

Pikachu ran over to where Paul's Pokéballs had fallen and searched through them. Finding a promising looking ball, Pikachu jumped on the button and released Paul's Electabuzz. The large Electric-Type paused as it saw who had released it. After Pikachu explained the situation and his plan, the two Electric-Types ran over to the backpacks of their respective trainers and began rummaging through them.

_It don't have to be this way  
Think about the consequences  
then turn around and walk away_

"Mom, Dad, I'm fine!" Angie reassured her parents as she tried to get up. "No more blood, see?" She pointed to her tongue, and indeed the blood flow had been staunched. Looking around, she realized that Ash was fighting Paul with no letup from either side. Despite protests from her parents, Angie began running over to the fight. She suddenly was yanked to a halt by a fuzzy yellow hand that grabbed her wrist. Turning, she recognized Paul's Electabuzz. The Electric Pokémon held a bell on a pale yellow ribbon, which was dropped into her hand.

"Cha-pi! Pika pika chu pika! Pikapi pi Pika cha pika chu pika" Ash's Pikachu exclaimed desperately as he hopped onto her shoulder and deposited an identical bell in her other hand. Angie just shook her head, not understanding. Suddenly a very beat up tan Pokémon stumbled into view.

"Yo, twerpette," The dazed Scratch Cat Pokémon translated, barely coherent. "Pikachu over dere's sayin dat dose 'r Soothe Bells, an' you can use dem ta stop dose twerps from bashin' each other's brains out." Meowth paused as Pikachu continued. "An' ya might want ta hurry, 'cause time's runnin' out! Gack! What've I gotten myself into now?" Meowth panicked.

"What are you doing here, anyway?" Angie asked suspiciously.

"It's a long story, twerpette," Meowth grumbled as he rubbed his aching tail. "An' ya got no time for dat! Ya gotta go an' knock some sense inta your twerpish pals!"

_Brother my brother  
Tell me what are fighting for  
Isn't life worth so much more  
We should love one another  
Oh, can't we just pretend  
This war never began  
Tell me why  
Brother my brother_

"Knock some sense into them, got it," Angie said as she started to run over to where Ash and Paul were attempting to bash each other's brains out. She only went ten paces before she turned back around. "Shinx, Pikachu, keep an eye on Meowth and zap him if he tries anything funny!" The two Electric-Types saluted as they took up positions on either side of the Scratch Cat Pokémon. "And for your information, Meowth, Paul is _not_ my 'pal,' and Ash is not my boyfriend!"

"…Wha…?"

"Arrgh, never mind!" Meowth watched as the turquoise-haired girl stormed off toward the fight. The imposing effect was rather ruined by the fact that the Soothe Bells in her hands were ringing merrily.

_Brother my brother  
Tell me what are fighting for  
Isn't life worth so much more  
We should love one another  
_

"Hey, Pikachu?" Meowth asked as a sudden revelation occurred to him.

"Pika?"

"You don't think that the Summer School twerpette took me literally when I said 'knock some sense inta dem,' do ya?" A sudden commotion over at the battlefield answered Meowth's question.

_Dingle-ding._ "Huh?" _WHACK-A-DING!_ "Ow!" _Ding-whack-dingle-whack-whock-ding-whap-dongle-ding-dong-whap-whop-dingle-ding!_ "Ow! Ow-ouch ow! Owowow-ow! Hey! Ow! Ouch! Ow!"

"Pi, pika pika chu pika," Pikachu responded, wincing as Ash and Paul tried begging for mercy through the beating they were reciving.

_Smack-ding-whap-whop-ding-dingle-ding-whip-whap-whock-dongle-ding-dong-whack!_ "Ow-stoppit-ow-ouch-ow! Ow! Please? Owch! Ow-ouch-ow! Mercy! Ow-ouch-argh-ow!"

_Oh, can't we just pretend  
This war never began  
Tell me why  
Brother my brother_

"Had enough?" Angie panted. Both Ash and Paul were kneeling with their heads to the ground.

"Yes! Please! No more!" the two male trainers cried out.

"I am ashamed of both of you! Ash, I expected this sort of behavior from Paul, but _you?_" Ash was a little unnerved. Angie was reminding him of his mom when he was little, after he raided the cookie jar or bought a wild Pokémon into the house.

"He hit you! I couldn't just let him get away with that!" Ash whined. Angie's face softened.

"Okay, you get off lightly because you were being a gentleman. Thank you, Ash," she said, blushing slightly. Then her face hardened as she rounded on Paul, who she could see was going to have an impressive scar on his face in the future. "Okay, so what's your excuse?"

"You killed my Torterra," Paul ground out menacingly. Ash tensed up, ready to intercept Paul if he tried anything. But Angie merely rolled her eyes.

"Torterra, would you give these Soothe Bells back to their respective owners, please?" Right on cue, two brown vines that comprised Frenzy Plant burst out of the ground on either side of Angie. She hooked the Soothe Bells over the vines as they bent toward the trainers. Ash grabbed his bell, while Paul ignored his own. Turning, he found his Torterra right behind him, looking as though its battle against Charizard had never happened. Crying with joy, Paul ignored the pain in his right arm as he gave his beloved Pokémon a hug.

* * *

Time for a game! I will be giving you readers two questions, which I want you to try to answer! Each question has a reward for all of you readers to enjoy, if just one of you gets the answer correct!

The first question involves the battle between Max and Amarilla: During Max's battle with Amarilla, Max manages to win by making use of his Aerodactyl's String Shot attack. Aerodactyl are not able to learn String Shot. _How was Max's Aerodactyl able to make use of String Shot?_ If one of you answers correctly, I will post the opening song for the Sequel on my profile. Just so you know, the sequel is going to play out more like a movie, so the opening song will be part of a song-fic chapter at the beginning of the story, kind of like how there's an opening montage at the beginning of the Pokémon movies.

The second question is focused on this chapter: _How was Paul's Torterra able to survive/come-back-to-life and get completely healed after being accidentally tossed on its back?_ The correct answer to this question will be rewarded with a little trailer of the Sequel, kind of like a movie trailer.

So send me your answers as a review, not a PM, so that everyone can look at it! That way there'll be no repeat answers, which would decrease the chances of someone getting the right answer.

And while you think about your answer, tell me how you liked this chapter! I know I upset some readers with the last chapter, but seriously. Do you really think that I would kill off my favorite Starter Pokémon? Oh, wait, you guys and girls didn't know that Torterra was my favorite Starter Pokémon.

Well, see ya!


	18. Game Help

Hi, this is just an update on the game. Here are a couple of hints: Both questions have supporting evidence from earlier in the story. Look for hidden/innocuous clues! And Mewtwo has nothing to do with this. I am going to ask you reviewers to please stop sending in suggestions about Mewtwo. I appreciate the suggestions, but they're starting to get a bit overdone. Mewtwo _will_ make an appearance in the sequel, but it doesn't have any further role in this story.

For the second question, you might want to do some research on the different characters. If you want to look up Amarilla, her official name is "Yellow." Research is very helpful in both questionnaires and in battle.

The next chapter should come in sometime early next week, unless you people manage to get the questions right, in which case I'll be giving you people your rewards first.


	19. Time for Your Reward

Congratulations to LatiosFan and ThePharoah! They were able to correctly answered my questions! And a "good job" to all of you who participated! You were all very creative in trying to answer my riddles.

To recap: The first question asked how Max's Aerodactyl managed to use String Shot. LatiosFan stated that he believed that Max used another Pokémon to help Aerodactyl. Remember back when Ash, May, Max, and Brock were traveling in the Hoenn Region and they came across that guy with the Pelipper that hid assisting Pokémon in its mouth? Well, Max got an idea from that guy! At the end of "Max vs. Amarilla! Part 1," Max is seen flying off in Aerodactyl with a small, green Pokémon on his shoulder." That Pokémon was a Spinarak! By hiding inside Aerodactyl's mouth, Max's Spinarak managed to trip up Amarilla's Dodrio without running the risk of being dragged along the road. For the reward, go to the end of my profile. There you will find the opening song for my Sequel. It's called "Stay Together," and it is the song that was played near the end of the "Time Warp Heals All Wounds" episode of the Battle Frontier.

The second question was answered correctly not but a few days ago by ThePharoah, who correctly guessed that Amarilla used her ability to heal Pokémon to save Paul's Torterra. And now for your final reward…

* * *

Ash Ketchum, Pokémon Trainer, returns to Pallet Town with friends old and new as he prepares for the Johto Frontier. But while he relaxes in his hometown, darkness approaches. [Ash and Co. are playing with their Pokémon at Professor Oak's lab. Camera zooms out to show Pallet Town. A dark line is seen on the horizon, and within seconds Pallet Town is engulfed in a fast moving black and purple smoke.] When the fabric of Time and Space begins to unravel, three legendary heroes must rise to save the world. [Ash, Angie, and Paul are seen holding three round objects that are glowing a bright white, and the shining objects begin to rise into the air.] What secrets does the Torn Legend hold? [View an enormous stone tablet inscribed with the language of the Unown.] And can Ash, Angie, and Paul restore the balance of the dimensions?

Join Ash and his friends as they fight old enemies, [Lawrence III's airship is seen firing ice balls] alongside new allies, [the Mega Rig is seen exchanging fire with J's ship] and in the greatest Pokémon battle they will ever witness. [Ash raises a Dark Ball into the air and chuckles evilly] [Zapdos and Articuno skirmish against a Dark Ho-oh.] [Max launches a tornado of shurikens at Iron Mask.][A Meowth launches a Pay Day attack at Domino and some Rocket grunts][Members of team Aqua and Team Magma charge toward Phantom and his crew][Palkia and Dialga ram into Giovanni's attack chopper.]

Pokémon: Rebirth of a Legend. Coming in Fall of 2010.

* * *

Yeah, kind of confusing, I know. Well, those preview ads always jump all over the place, and it's hard to do a narration of something like that in a Fanfic. I promise that I'll get the next chapter up next week! I've got a lot of school work!

So again, congratulations, and see ya soon!


	20. Confusion Is In The Air!

Hi! Here's the new update! I had to watch the battle between Paul and Brandon a few, oh who am I kidding, several dozen times so that I could get a read on his mental state better. That, and it was kind of entertaining. The Regi voices are awesome.

I kinda feel like this chapter is a bit choppy, but it's the best I could do. Next chapter is going to be much smoother. Enough of me, read on! And keep up the great reviews and guesses about what's going to happen!

* * *

Darkness.

"Light… come forth from the darkness…!"

* * *

"Torterra, you're alive! But, how?"

"You can thank Ammie for that," Max said excitably as he nudged the yellow-haired girl he was supporting. Amarilla was panting heavily, her face pale and her knees shaking. "She was so amazing! Not only can she talk to Pokemon, she can heal them too! After me and Ralts got Torterra upright, she just placed her hand on Torterra's shell and all of Torterra's injuries just faded away! Even the rocks and plants on Torterra's shell grew back!" Max was about to say more when Amarilla finally collapsed. "Whoa, Ammie, are you okay?"

"I, _gasp_, just need to, _gasp_, rest," Amarilla managed to gasp out. "That took, _gasp_, a lot, _gasp_, out of me, _gasp_. Torterra's, _gasp_, injuries were, _gasp_, very serious, _gasp_. I'll heal your fr-_gasp,_ friends in a, _gasp,_ moment." Max kneeled down next to Amarilla and placed a hand on her back.

"No, you need to rest," Max said. May gave her little brother a light tap on the head. "Hey! What was that for?"

"3-foot-rule, Max," May winked as she waggled a finger. "Boyfriend and girlfriend have to stay 3 feet away from each other!" May's sing-song voice obviously hit a verve, as both children shot to their feet.

"H-hey! The-that's not fair!" Max sputtered. "She isn't my girlfriend!"

"Yeah, and he's not my boyfriend!" Amarilla blushed.

"I dunno," May teased. "You two make a pretty cute couple to me!"

"Okay, okay, you can ignore those things I said earlier!" Max cried out desperately.

"So you changed your mind now that you know how hard it is to restrain your feelings of affection, huh?" May giggled as her little brother began stomping in to the ground in frustration.

"No, no, no, no, no! That's not what I meant!"

"Hey, May?" Ash called over. "If you're finished with teasing your brother and his friend, me n' Paul could use some help."

"Sure," Max said as he helped the still dizzy Amarilla over to the injured trainers. "May, need I remind you that _I'm_ the one with the full graduate certificate from the Pokémon Ninja School?" May sweat-dropped as she remembered how easily Max had neutralized the police officer earlier.

"Okay," Amarilla said after a brief rest. "I've never done this on humans before…"

"That's alright," Ash reassured the young trainer. "You'll do fine."

"Anyway, it's not like you could hurt us anymore than we did to each other," Paul commented. Amarilla waved her hand over Ash's broken arm, making the trainer wince as the bone fragments fused back together. Paul's leg injury was more severe, requiring more concentration to heal. For several minutes, Amarilla used her abilities to heal not just the physical injuries, but the mental and emotional ones as well.

* * *

As Amarilla stepped back from her handiwork, Ash and Paul stood up simultaneously and faced each other. Even as the two former enemies glowered slightly at each other, a spark of understanding flew between them. Monferno walked up cautiously and carefully placed a hand on the trainer' hands.

"Fer mo mon ferno, monferno?" the Playful Pokemon asked quietly. The trainers stared as the Fire-Type's face triggered memories.

"When every life meets another life…" Ash and Paul murmured in amazement. Monferno plucked the Soothe Bells from the two trainers and exchanged them.

"You want us to trade Soothe Bells?" Paul asked incredulously.

"I think it's a good idea," Reggie said. "It isn't just Pokemon trades that strengthen the bond between trainers, anything works. Doing a trade wouldn't make you two friends right away, but it's at least a step in the right direction."

"So, can you two agree to turn over a new leaf?" Misty asked. Ash looked away uncomfortably, while Paul crossed his arms over his chest, eyes shut. Pikachu bounded up onto Ash's shoulder and tugged on his hair.

"Pikapi," Pikachu said seriously. "Chu pika pi kachu ka pi-ka. Pika chu pi chu pika." Meowth was prodded forward by Angie's Shinx for translation.

"Hey, watch da tail fur!" the Scratch Cat Pokémon complained. Shinx bared her teeth, which began to spark dangerously. "Okay, okay! Sheesh." Meowth turned to Ash. "Pikachu was just say'n dat you an' da taller twerp-"

"Did you just call me a twerp?!"

"Did you just call me short?!"

"-don't gain anythin' from fight'n," Meowth continued, less worried about insulted twerps as he was of the Thunder Fang attack that Shinx was going to sink into his tail if he stopped translating. "Youse two need ta just be friends. Now could ya JUST MAKE UP ALREADY BEFORE THIS CRAZY POKÉMON RIPS MY POOR TAIL OFF!" Meowth shrieked as Shinx sank her tiny electrified fangs into the tail of the Scratch Cat Pokémon. Ash ignored Meowth's outburst and spoke to his long time partner.

"So you think that I should try to be friends with Paul?" Ash asked. Pikachu nodded. "Paul really isn't someone I can make friends with, you know." The Mouse Pokémon shook his head and pointed at Gary.

"Pika ka chu? Pi chu pika chu, chu pika pikachu." Ash nodded, not needing a translation. Meanwhile, Amarilla was translating what Torterra was saying, Paul listening with rapt attention.

"'…so friendship can bolster your will, strengthening both you and your Pokémon from within. This 'inner strength' gives a Pokémon an extra boost that can allow it to overcome difficult odds, and it builds trust between trainer and Pokémon quicker. Friendships between trainers are also very important for your development as a person. Are you really translating this, or are you just guessing-' hey!" Amarilla glared at the Continent Pokémon as Paul thought about what he had been told by his first Pokémon.

_Brandon did tell me that I'm too wrapped up in the past,_ Paul thought. _Is this my chance to have a new beginning? To start over and make some… friends? _He gazed at his Electabuzz as it tried to goad Gary's Electivire into a battle, but the larger, calmer Electric-Type simply ignored Paul's Electric Pokémon. _It's true that Torterra has always been at my side, and definitely knows what's best for me, but do _I_ want to do this?_ Torterra stomped up to its trainer and laid down as Paul continued to mull over his decision. His mind replayed the battle that his brother Reggie had fought against Brandon, and his own battle versus the Pyramid King. One of the few battles that Torterra had not been at his side for. He had known that Torterra would put up a good fight, but he just wasn't willing to pit the Grass/Ground-Type Pokémon against Brandon. _Is that what friendship is about? Caring for others?_

"Torrrr? Torterraaaa," Torterra rumbled. Paul nodded briefly and stood up.

"Paul! Hey, Paul," Ash called as he walked over, watched by all. "Ready to make a fresh start?" All eyes watched with bated breath as Paul slowly turned to Ash. The purple-haired trainer glowered for a moment, then his face broke into a rare grin.

"I thought you'd never ask," Paul said. Every trainer breathed a collective sigh of relief as Ash and Paul shook hands for the first time. Angie watched from next to Pikachu at the two new friends. She felt a slight twinge of jealousy at all the attention Ash was getting that wasn't from her, but she brushed it off.

"Okay Pikachu," Angie said to the yellow Mouse Pokémon. "Now that all of the fighting is over and stuff, I'll have a look at that thing you gave me."

* * *

For two whole seconds, Ash's heart stopped. Then it went into overdrive as his 'fight-or-flight' instincts took over. He attempted to make a break to the left, but he fell flat on his back and nearly dislocated his shoulder due to the vice grip Paul now had on his hand. The purple-haired trainer remained immobile, tethering Ash to the spot. Getting desperate, Ash tried to escape by continually straining against Paul's grip and merely resulted in straining his arm.

"C'mon! Paul! Let! Me! Go!" Ash grunted as he kept trying to get away.

"Why should I?" At this point, Angie was almost half way through the poem. Ash's struggles became even more desperate when Misty grabbed his other arm.

"Oh, no you don't," the Cerulean City Gym Leader growled as she and Paul stretched Ash out so that he couldn't get away. Finding himself looking directly at Angie, not more than twenty feet away, Ash tried to back up, but he stopped as his heel hit something. Craning his neck back, Ash found a lawnmower right by his ankles. It was orange. It had teeth. Big. Sharp. Teeth.

"Rrrrr-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-tm!" the lawnmower chattered. Ash had to bite his tongue to keep himself from screaming in fear. Seeing Angie had finished the poem, her face bright red, and was rushing at him, Ash resigned himself to his fate and shut his eyes, hoping that his death would be quick.

Ash suddenly found himself being flung to the ground as Angie tackle-hugged him. Eyes open again, he felt his face heat up as they simply stared at each other, mere inches apart.

"A-angie? You, I mean… ah, I, um, you, me, er…" Ash stuttered in embarrassment and slight confusion. Angie just had to smile; Ash looked so adorable when he was confused.

"Yeah, Ash, I love you too," Angie whispered. Gently closing her eyes, she allowed her lips to delicately brush his in a kiss. She sighed as she felt Ash carefully wrap his arms around her.

"Angie?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks." Ash slowly sat up and kissed Angie again. The Daycare Center girl shivered slightly as she returned the favor, all the while feeling lightheaded with giddiness and disbelief. Most of the other trainers crowded around the new couple to give their congratulations, but four trainers were noticeably absent: Brock, Max, Amarilla, and Paul.

"Why? Why, oh curs'ed fate?" Brock sobbed as he pounded on the ground. "Why must you deprive me of any love?" He stretched a hand into the air dramatically. "Isn't there anyone out there for me? Please, I beseech you, higher powers, give me a sign!"

"Croagunk!" *Zap*

"That's… not… what… I… meant…" the breeder groaned in pain as he fell limp to the ground and was dragged off by his Poison Pokémon.

* * *

Somewhere in the Kanto Region, a tall, slender woman with jet black hair and dressed in a purple top and black pants sneezed for no apparent reason.

"That was odd," she said to herself.

* * *

Max was getting annoyed about all the fuss that was being made over Ash and Angie, and he wasn't afraid to voice his thoughts.

"You guys are all a bunch of _weenies,_" Max yelled at the huddle of teenagers. Amarilla rolled her eyes.

"Nice, Max," Amarilla said sarcastically. "Way to get their attention." Max glowered at the yellow-haired girl for a moment.

"You got a better idea?" he countered. Amarilla responded by placing her forefinger and middle finger in her mouth and emitting a shrill whistle that had everyone covering their ears and wild Pokémon fleeing for miles around. She smirked at Max, who was kneeling on the ground and clutching his head in pain. "Okay, you win," the Petalburg native mumbled. Amarilla turned back to the other trainers and noticed that something wasn't quite right.

"Um, no offense, but most of you seem, well, different," Amarilla said hesitantly. The trainers looked at each other, trying to figure out what the Viridian Forest native was talking about. Realization and chaos struck at the exact same time.

"What happened to my hat?!" Ash yelled.

"Where's my scarf?!" Barry shouted angrily.

"My sunglasses, where are they?" "My bandanna's missing!" "Mine too!" "What happened to my sketchbook?!" "Who took my wristbands?!" "My lab coat!" "Ah! My sombrero!" "Bun bun!" "Even Buneary's vest was taken!"

"PAUL!!!" Reggie thundered out, stunning everyone into silence.

* * *

Tap, tap

_She's not waking up._

_Try tapping a little harder._

Tap Tap Tap

_She's still not moving._

_Hmm…_

TapTapTapTapTap

_She's still sleeping._

_She may be dreaming._

_Wake up!_

TAP TAP TAP TAP TA-CRASH Klink-tinkle tinklink-ink

…_oops…_

"Who's there?!" A red-haired girl quickly sat up from her bed to find a white-and-dark-blue, medium sized, bird-like Pokémon perched just outside her window with a much larger specimen of the same species right behind it. "Huh? But what are you doing here, and who's the little one?"

_This is my hatchling,_ the larger Pokémon said psychically. _And I have risen from the sea to answer a call for my powers. The three titans will leave with me._

"Won't that cause-" the girl began to ask.

_The Beast of the Sea shall not need taming. As long as all is left in harmony, the world shall be safe from destruction by the power of the waters._

"Then what do you mean, a 'call for your powers'?"

_It is destined that two worlds shall collide, creating disharmony in the universe. Then, two great forces shall clash, and the result of the battle will either save the world… or destroy it._ The girl gasped. _Your talents would be useful, but your true strength will only matter if you make the decision to go yourself. The choice is yours._ The girl thought for a moment.

"Wait here," she said as she closed the curtains, being careful not to step on any glass. The hatchling began trying to poke its head through the fabric.

_Where is she going?_ the hatchling asked. The elder Pokémon pulled its offspring away from the window by the tail. Then the massive creature unfolded its wings and unleashed an eerie, reverberating cry. After a few moments three different cries rang out from near by. Nodding in satisfaction, the Pokémon turned back in time to see the slender girl jump out her window and onto the grass beyond, carrying a bag and dressed in jeans with a pink tank top.

"I'm ready."

* * *

Ta-daahhh! How did you like that? I can read your mind, this was your favorite chapter so far. I bet most of you loved the MorpheusShippyness at the middle! Except for that one guy who said that he hated MorpheusShipping. That confused me. (CrazyYanmega hurt himself in confusion! Just kidding.) Really, why anyone who hates MorpheusShipping would even read this story is beyond me. I mean, it has MorpheusShipping written all over it!

Send me a review about how you enjoyed this chapter. I'll try to get another two chapters done before Christmas, so keep watch! Me, Melody, and Sola will be in the next chapter. Sola now has a FanFiction account under the name of Aura-Sphere-Of-Doom. Check out her story, cause it will have some MorpheusShipping later on, and it is just a totally epic story. Please ignore her horrible grammar and spelling.

Oh! I also have a guess at what the Ruby and Sapphire remakes will be called: Ruby Mind and Sapphire Spirit. Send me a PM through my profile if you have another idea.

This chapter's question to ponder: What's with the lawnmower?

Send in those wonderful reviews, they really boost my writing speed (wink wink, hint hint). See ya soon!


	21. The Beginning of a New Memory!

Yay! New chapter! But I found out some horrible news! Gliscor is leaving Ash's team! *sniffle* Gliscor was my favorite of Ash's team… Well, hopefully Ash will use Gliscor for the Sinnoh tournament, since Gliscor _is_ being trained by the Air Battle Master! But I'm still sad.

Anyway, back to the new chapter. I've gotten a pretty good chapter for humor here, plus some slight mystery and, of course, MorpheusShipping fluff! I'll be getting back to the main storyline soon, I promise! I'll also be doing some more battle scenes with Ash and the gang like I suggested I would earlier in the story.

Anyway, read on!

* * *

"Reggie, I don't think that Paul would do that sort of thing," Brock started to say before the other Pokémon breeder rounded on him.

"Whose little brother is he, mine or yours?" Reggie took a deep breath and massaged his temples. "This is exactly the sort of thing that Paul would do. About three years ago." Ash had to snort back laughter at the complete ridiculousness of the idea.

"I'm sorry, Reggie, but I just can't see that happening," he managed to say without laughing. Reggie sighed.

"Fine, don't believe me," he said. "But you'll find your missing stuff in your bags, which he's turned inside out."

"What?" Ash turned to where everyone had left their bags: by the side of the house. Indeed, every single bag that had been sitting there was now inside out. And, as it turned out when they all went to investigate, all zipped up. From the _inside_.

"How did he do that without any of us noticing?" Angie asked as Ash tried to open his bag. Reggie shrugged.

"I honestly have no idea. He always makes sure you have your back turned. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to look for my miscreant of a brother." Max appeared at his side.

"I'll help, he really upset Ammie over there." Angie glanced over to where Max was pointing, finding the yellow-haired girl vainly attempting to bend her hat back to its original shape. Her head snapped back to Ash as he let out an angry growl. It seemed that Paul had given his bag some special consideration.

All of his shirts were inside out. All of his pants were inside out. His vests were inside out. His underwear was inside out. His sleeping bag was inside out. His hat, at the bottom of his bag, was inside out. Even his socks were inside out. Angie hid a smile behind her hand as Ash sorted through his clothing and grumbled about how he was going to exact some sort of revenge.

"Hey Ash, what's in that little bag over there?" Angie asked as she pointed to a small bag that had fallen out of Ash's backpack. Ash grinned as he opened it.

"It's my special bag that I carry souvenirs from my travels in." He looked inside it anxiously, then sighed in relief. "Nothing's broken. Now," he said as he pulled Paul's Soothe Bell from his pocket, "to add the newest trinket." The bell jingled a bit as it was dropped into the bag. Ash drew the drawstrings shut and placed the bag in his backpack.

"Could you show me what's in there?" Angie asked curiously. Ash stood up and gave Angie a quick peck on the cheek before shaking his head.

"Maybe later," he answered. "Right now we've got to get the party back together, right Pikachu?"

"Pi pikachu!" Ash's faithful partner leaped onto his shoulder and raised a tiny fist into the air. Angie, meanwhile, had smacked a palm to her forehead.

"I totally forgot about the party, I was so wrapped up in everything else that was going on!" Pikachu laughed and jumped to Angie's shoulder.

"Pika pika pi-_kaaa!_"

"Oh, and here are your wrist bands," Ash said cheerfully. "Paul put them in my bag. I've got no idea why." Ash winked playfully, causing Angie to laugh, then he turned to where everyone else was. "Okay everyone! Let's get this party back… on… track?" No one was there. Even Charizard was gone. Angie shaded her eyes and looked around.

"I think everyone went after Paul," she said. Ash pulled his Pokéballs from his belt.

"Well then, if we find Paul, then eventually we'll find everyone else too!" Ash shouted. "Everybody return!" Ash's Pokémon (with the exception of Pikachu, of course) were withdrawn back into the red-and-white orbs in Ash's hands.

"Snover, Heracross, return!" Angie yelled. "Shinx, keep Meowth in line!"

"Ffinkf!" Angie's Spark Pokémon answered through Meowth's tail. Angie suddenly found Ash thrusting himself in front of her, arms outstretched.

"Angie, stay behind me," Ash whispered urgently. "And whatever you do, don't make any sudden movements! There's a very dangerous Pokémon over there!" Angie peered over Ash's shoulder carefully.

"That's not a dangerous Pokémon," Angie said as she ducked under Ash's outstretched arm. Pikachu jumped back onto Ash's shoulder. "Rotom wouldn't hurt anyone, would you?" she cooed. The orange lawnmower trundled up to the girl and purred as she began petting it. "See, Ash?"

As soon as Angie turned her head to address Ash, Rotom gave the raven-haired trainer an evil looking grin, jaws gaping slightly in a most unnerving fashion. Ash's response was to flinch and repeatedly point at the Plasma Pokémon. Angie turned back to her Electric/Ghost-Type.

"What? Rotom's not doing anything." The mischievous little Pokémon then rose from the lawnmower it had possessed and regained its normal form. Angie cupped her hands under the tiny Pokémon and stood up. "Isn't Rotom just the most precious little thing you ever saw?" she said sweetly, thrusting the orange Pokémon up to Ash's face. Ash stumbled backwards in a panic and plastered himself against the wall, much to Angie's confusion.

_It's the same one, it's the same one!_ Ash kept thinking to himself.

"Ash… are you _afraid_ of Rotom?" Ash bit his lower lip nodded furiously. Angie sighed as she pulled a Pokéball from off her belt. "Rotom, return! Okay, Ash, I'll mostly keep Rotom in its Pokéball. _But,_" she added ominously. "If you misbehave, I might accidentally open Rotom's Pokéball…"

"Aww, come on!" Ash whined. "You know I don't do that kind of stuff!"

"Then you'll have nothing to worry about," Angie grinned. "Now weren't we going to go look for Paul?"

"Yeah, I've got some stuff to say to him about what he did to my bag! And for taking your wristbands!" Angie gave Ash a hug.

"That's sweet of you, but don't be too hard on him," she said. "We don't want him to be going back to his grumpy old self now, do we?" Ash sighed reluctantly.

"I guess so," he grumbled. They were about to walk towards the wooded area when both their stomachs gurgled simultaneously. "Maybe we could go back to the house and grab some more cookies first?"

"Good idea! Race ya!" The two trainers were about to start running when Meowth cried out to them.

"Hey, twerps! Hold on a sec!" Ash and Angie halted in their tracks and turned to the Scratch Cat Pokémon. "First offs, I wish you twos a long life an' lotsa laughs together." Both trainers were taken aback by the compliment.

"Umm, thanks," Ash said. "I guess."

"Now I need ta get back ta Team Rocket, so I was wunnerin if Pikachu could give me a return flight?"

"How did you end up back here, anyway?" Angie asked.

"Yeah, what blasted you off again?" Ash added. Meowth stood up proudly.

"Well, 'dis 's supposed ta be a secret an' all, but Team Rocket's gonna be trainin' so hard dat we're gonna catch Pikachu! We're gonna be so strong, you twerps won't stand a chance!" Ash exchanged a glance with Angie.

"Uh huh? So where do you want to go?"

"Dat way," Meowth pointed north. Ash nodded to Pikachu who jumped to the ground and got behind Meowth as the Scratch Cat Pokémon continued its tirade. "So tell your twerpish pals that Team Rocket's coming! Tremble in fear, 'cause the next time we meet, we won't be da losers! And-"

"Pika-CHUUUUU!"

"MEEEEOOOWWWCHH! LOOKS LIKE I'm blasting off again!"

Ash, Angie, and their respective Electric-Type Pokémon watched as Meowth disappeared into the sky with a twinkle.

"That was fun," Angie said after a while. "How often do you get to do that?"

"Oh, a couple of times a week," Ash answered. "Why?" Angie scuffed her shoe on the ground, unable to look at him directly.

"Well, you see, my parents said that I could start t-traveling, and, w-well," she stammered as a blush spread across her face. "I was hoping that I could travel with you?"

"Sure!" Ash exclaimed. "I-I mean, that's great, Angie! So your parents are going to be okay with you traveling away from home with me?"

"Yeah, they pretty much said that they trust you to take care of me," she snickered. "But you know that I don't need anyone to take care of me, right?" Ash shrugged as they began walking towards the door to Angie's house.

"I dunno," he replied. "After all, I've saved your life twice, right?"

"Hey, no fair," Angie whined playfully. "I've changed a lot since then!"

"Sure you have."

"No, really!"

"Uh huh."

"I _have!"_

"Right." Ash's face finally broke into a grin, while Angie's face soured.

"You were toying with me, weren't you," she stated accusingly.

"Yup," Ash said grinning. His grin faltered when he saw Angie's face, eyes wide and mouth drooping. "Oh, Angie! I'm so sorry! I really didn't mean to hurt your feelings! I was just playing around!" Now it was Angie's turn to grin.

"Gee, Misty was right! Puppy dog eyes really do work!" Ash fell to the ground.

"Angie, don't ever do that again!" he scolded as he got up. "You made me feel horribly guilty!"

"Silly! That's the whole point! It keeps you kind and caring! See, like this! Look! Look!" She made the pathetic face again. Ash covered his eyes desperately.

"No! I won't look! I won't look! I'm already feeling guilty enough!" Angie attempted to peel Ash's hands away from his face.

"But don't I look adorable? Look! Please? Please? Pleeeezee?" Angie begged, making her voice as cute and pathetic as possible.

"Argh! I can't cover my eyes and my ears at the same time!" Ash whimpered.

"Now come in the house and eat some cookies with me," she ordered. "Or I'll start acting all cute and hurt again." Pikachu and Shinx snickered as their trainers held hands and walked into the house together.

* * *

"Ricochet, use Thunder!" Melody shouted. Her Zangoose leaped into the air and unleashed a powerful volley of electricity at its opponent.

"Yanmega, attack pattern Alpha-three-one!" Cameron yelled. His Ogre Darner Pokémon executed a barrel roll to avoid the bolt of electrical energy and then launched a monochromatic sphere at the Scar Ferret Pokémon.

"Use Crush Claw on that Ancient Power to get higher, then use Slash!" Ricochet's claws glowed as the red-and-white Pokémon smashed both of its front limbs down upon the oncoming attack to launch itself at Cameron's Yanmega.

"Get behind it and use Air Slash!" The powerful Bug/Flying-Type quickly circled around its adversary as one of its wings gathered a swirling orb of energy. Ricochet tried to turn so that it could face its opponent, but the Ogre Darner was too agile. Melody's Zangoose crashed into the ground when Cameron's Yanmega released the shot of sky blue energy.

"Ricochet, you can do this! Rock Smash!" Ricochet pounded a fist into the ground, creating a fissure that zigzagged across the uneven terrain until it was under Cameron's Yanmega, when the fissure released a spray of sharp-edged rock fragments.

"Deflect it back with Bug Buzz!" Yanmega's wings beat the air rapidly, creating shockwaves that redirected the attack back to its owner. Melody pulled out Ricochet's Pokéball before the counterattack struck.

"Ricochet, return! You did well!" She threw another Pokéball into the air. "Ichigo, use Blast Burn!" Melody's Charizard appeared in a flash of light and immediately launched an enormous, pulsing stream of fire at Yanmega.

"Protect!" An instant before the blast struck, Yanmega was enveloped in a protective green bubble. The powerful Fire-Type attack exploded when it encountered the shielding move. Ichigo began to give off red sparks of energy as the Flame-Pokémon recharged. The smoke around Yanmega dispersed rapidly as the Protect move was lowered. "That's why you don't start with your most powerful move! Ancient Power!" A second monochrome sphere of energy smashed into the Fire/Flying-Type, ending the battle.

"You did your best Ichigo, now you take a nice long rest." Melody glared at her opponent. "I'll beat you some time! Cuddy, go!" Her black-furred Electric-Type appeared, sparking aggressively. Cameron nodded at her choice.

"Exemplary as usual, Yanmega! Return!" he shouted as he switched Pokémon. "Heatran, go!" A reddish-brown Pokémon appeared, with a steel head and dappled with yellow and grey spots.

"Battle begin!" both trainers yelled as their Pokémon charged each other.

* * *

I think I'm getting pretty good at the interactions between Ash and Angie! And soon I'll have Angie's parents playing a bigger part in the story. Melody is now mad at me because she lost, so I'm going to let her tell all of you a message.

_Every time you bring logic into anime, God destroys a bowl of pasta. PLEASE THINK ABOUT THE PASTA!!_

Umm, yeah. It didn't really make sense to me either. _Anyway,_ I'll get one more chapter posted before Christmas. Send in more reviews! Let's see if we can make the 200 mark before the First of January! Here's some stuff to think about: Where is Paul? Is he really behind all of the mischief? What is Team Rocket doing to make themselves more powerful? And will the Valentine's party be able to continue, or will it just peter out? Yes, it is _still_ Valentine's Day in this fanfic. Scary, huh?

See ya, and a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, or Kwanza to you if I don't manage to make the next chapter in time!


	22. Snowstorm

Sorry for the wait, fans. I've been distracted by the Pokémon Ranger: Shadows of Almia game. It is AWESOME! I've also been following the news on the new Ranger game that is being developed in Japan, Pokémon Ranger: Tracks of Light! I've also been held up by school work, such as AP Statistics and Chemistry, but I managed to whip out this chapter and finally be satisfied with it.

It has almost been a year since I started this story. I'll have to think up something special for the occasion. Also, my birthday is tomorrow! Yay for me!

* * *

"Sam, are the bay doors repaired yet?" a green-clad man shouted into a radio as he sidestepped a Hyper Beam attack. "Regice, Zap Cannon go!"

"Geegeegee iiiiiiiiiiiice!" the Iceberg Pokémon buzzed as it threw a red-cored orb of electricity.

"Sir! It's going to take a while longer," a voice crackled over the radio. "Regigigas did a heck of a lot of damage here. Sir, did you manage to get it into the arena?"

"Yes, and I'm going to catch it! If it's going to be in the Pyramid, we must restrict its movements so that it does not destroy everything! Registeel, use your Iron Head!"

"S-t-t-teel!" Registeel launched itself forward in a shining comet of energy, but was smashed into the arena floor by Regigigas' Hammer Arm attack.

"I'll fix the hallways once I'm done here, sir!"

"Hold on a minute, Sam. Maria! Did you manage to locate the data I requested? Regirock, Stone Edge, now!"

"Rock rock rock roc-ghghghghh!" The beige-and-orange Rock Peak Pokémon fired a stream of rock shards at the opposing Colossal Pokémon.

"Yes," a female voice answered via the radio. "What should I do now?"

"Stream the data to the research laboratory, then go down there with Sam and begin analyzing it! This is of the utmost importance! I suspect that there is far more going on than is apparent at first glance! Registeel! Flash Cannon!"

"Regi steeeel!" Brandon's Iron Pokémon knocked Regigigas to the ground with a beam of monochrome Steel-Type energy. The enormous Normal Type countered by raising a gigantic hand and firing off a massive Hyper Beam, sending Registeel crashing into the bleachers that lined the arena.

"Registeel!" Brandon yelled to his Steel-Type as it bounced back into the arena, ready for more. "Regirock, Shock Wave!" Regirock fired a light blue stream of electricity that collided with a second Hyper Beam. "Regice, now use Ice Beam!"

"Regi-iiiiiice!" The crackling blue beam made contact with Regigigas, freezing on of its arms to the ground for a few precious seconds. Seconds that Brandon and his team made full use of.

"Regirock, Registeel, and Regice! Unleash your Hyper Beam!" The three Regis launched beams of focused energy at Regigigas, sending the larger Pokémon reeling. Brandon plucked a red-and-white object from off of his belt and threw it at the fallen Normal-Type. "Now! Pokéball, go!"

A thin pencil of red light shot out from the ball, striking Regigigas and transforming the massive Pokémon into pure energy. The ball opened and drew the energy into itself before sealing once more, this time with the magical creature inside.

* * *

Ash and Angie were just about to enter Angie's house when Paul burst out through the doorway, a grim expression on his face. Ash thought that Paul was just being his cranky old self and began interrogating the purple-haired youth.

"Hey Paul! Did you turn my stuff inside out? 'Cause if you did, I'm gonna-" Ash began as Angie tried to pull him back.

"Ash, stop! We've had enough broken limbs today already without you picking a fight with Paul over something stupid!" she hissed urgently.

"We can talk about what happened later," Paul snapped. "The weather report said that there's a big snowstorm coming in right now, and everyone who is outside right now could be in a lot of trouble soon if we don't get them inside!" Ash was still miffed over his clothing.

"So what? It can't be that bad, can it?" Angie stared at Ash incredulously.

"You're not from around here, are you," she stated. "For your information, the snowfall around the Sinnoh region is so bad that you can get buried in snow in just five minutes!" Her words were emphasized by a large gust of chilling wind

"…Oh." Ash murmured soberly. "Then… then that means everyone is in trouble! We've got to go help everyone!" Paul buried his face in his hands out of sheer frustration.

"That's just what I said…" he muttered as he pulled out a Pokéball and threw it into the air. "Honchkrow, stand by!" Paul's Big Boss Pokémon appeared in a flash of light.

"Haawnch kroww!" the Dark/Flying-Type cawed before nearly being tossed to the ground by another sudden wind gust.

"Honchkrow, use the wind to your advantage," Paul shouted as the windstorm became more severe. "Lead as many people as you can to safety!" Ash caught on quickly and called out to his Charizard.

"Charizard, you help too!" Ash yelled over the wind. As the large Flame Pokémon took flight, Pikachu's ears twitched. He thought he heard something a moment ago, but now it was gone. The Electric-Type shook his head in confusion as Ash threw a Pokéball to the sky. "Staraptor, lead as many people back here as you can!"

"Staraptor!" the Predator Pokémon trilled as he flew into the forest. Ash ran after the Normal/Flying-Type Pokémon, motioning the others to follow him. The trio ran through the forest until they reached a small clearing.

"We should probably split up now," Ash yelled over the now howling winds. "That way we can cover more ground!" Paul shook his head.

"It would be very unwise to split up," he shouted. "Getting separated would just mean more trouble for everyone." Angie agreed reluctantly, but then she got an idea.

"Hey, how about Paul goes with his Torterra in that direction," she yelled as she pointed to the left. "And me 'n you go this direction together," pointing to the right. Ash grinned and nodded.

"Sounds good to me!" he yelled. Paul shook his head in amusement as he called out his Torterra. "We'll all meet back at Angie's house, right?"

"Right!" the others shouted. They had just begun to go their separate ways when Pikachu's ears twitched again. He could just make out the faint voice, and it was somewhat familiar…

Realization dawned as Pikachu leaped to the forest floor and began running as fast as he could toward the voice. Ash began chasing after his companion in confusion.

"Pikachu, where are you going?" he shouted as he tripped over an exposed tree root.

"Pikapi pika chu pikaaa!" Pikachu shouted back as he disappeared into the underbrush.

"Ash, are you okay?" Angie asked as she helped the raven haired trainer back to his feet.

"I'll be fine, but I'm getting really worried about Pikachu," Ash responded. "It's not like him to just up and leave like that. I'm really worried." Angie slapped Ash on the back.

"I'm sure Pikachu can take care of himself, but I'm more worried about everyone else, since they don't have a coat of fur to keep themselves warm. Look!" Angie pointed into the wind, where the first flakes were beginning to fall.

* * *

"Buuuuneary! Buuuun!" Dawn's Rabbit Pokémon cried out. She had been Bouncing from tree to tree, assisting Dawn, when a surprise updraft had caught her mid-Bounce and sent her flying. She had managed to land safely on a tree branch, but had injured her leg in the process. Crippled and separated from her trainer, she cried out again, praying that someone, anyone, would hear her and come to her rescue before she slipped and fell. Fortunately for her, someone had heard.

Like a streak of greased lightning, Pikachu tore through the underbrush. Seeing Buneary's precarious position, he poured all of his energy for a final burst of speed from Quick Attack. The Mouse Pokémon became a yellow blur as he shot toward, then up the tree Buneary was in. Leaping onto the tree branch, Pikachu grabbed Buneary's paw just before she slipped off. As he pulled her back onto the branch, Buneary pressed herself against her savior, quivering in fear at the close call.

"Chuu, pika chuu," Pikachu whispered soothingly as he hugged Buneary. "Pi ka chu?" Buneary sniffed and shook her head, pointing to her injured leg. Pikachu inspected the swollen appendage and quickly prepared a temporary remedy. Scooping up some nearby snow in his broad tail, he pressed it against Buneary's leg. The Rabbit Pokémon winced at first, but then sighed as the cool snow began to reduce the swelling. As Pikachu created a binding out of leaves to keep the snow in place, Buneary looked for a way to get safely down.

"Bun, bun Buneary bun," Buneary began fretting. She suddenly jolted in surprise as Pikachu picked her up and settled her on his back. "Buneary?"

"Pika, Pikachu, pi pikachu." And with that explanation, Pikachu leaped down to a sturdy branch below them. The branch wobbled slightly, causing the Mouse Pokémon to lose his footing. It was at that precise moment that another gust of wind blew through the area, sending both Pokémon flying. Pikachu gritted his teeth as he realized that he and Buneary were headed directly for a sharp boulder. Focusing carefully, he sent a huge amount of energy into his tail. As the lightning bolt-shaped appendage began glowing white, Pikachu aimed for a specific point on the boulder that he would have to strike if they were to survive. If he missed, he would only be making things worse. Preparing for the worst, he moved himself in front of Buneary to protect her from the razor sharp shards of rock that were sure to occur.

Buneary glanced around helplessly. If only her leg wasn't injured! She could just Bounce off of the boulder and get everyone away safely. Pikachu was being so selfless, placing himself in harm's way for her!

"Bun Buneary," the Rabbit Pokemon said.

"Pi pi-KA!" Pikachu snapped as curled his tail back. Buneary obeyed Pikachu's terse orders, curling her ears down and drawing her limbs to her body so that the least amount of area was available for any shrapnel to embed itself in. Right before she clamped her eyes shut, she thought she saw a dark shadow approaching rapidly.

"Haaaaaaaoooooooow-aaaaaaaaooooooowwaaa-aaawaaaaa KROW!" Paul's Honchkrow swooped in, snatching the two smaller Pokémon with his sharp talons. Pikachu instinctively released a brief Thunder Bolt attack, frying both Honchkrow and Buneary before he realized what was happening.

"Pi pikachu! Pi pika pi!" Pikachu apologized. Honchkrow gave the small Electric-Type a whithering glare.

"Honch honch krow!" the Big Boss Pokémon shouted as he spread his wings wide and angled them upward. The three Pokémon shot out of the forest canopy and into a world of whiteness. Buneary was shocked by how far away she had strayed. The only way any of them could locate Angie's house was from the huge gouts of fire that Ash's Charizard was spitting into the atmosphere.

"Pi pikachu!" Pikachu yelled as Honchkrow sailed for the guiding light that shone the way to safety.

* * *

Okay, so everyone seems okay for now. But what will happen if the storm gets worse? And did _everyone_ get inside in time? Feel the chills as you anticipate the epic suspense!

In similar news, you guys should make sure to check out LatiosFan's MorpheusShipping story! And while you're at it, see MoscowMooCow's story called _Camp Catchem'all. _I have my OC in it as a counselor!


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